You may have seen a dubious story doing the rounds about a German trademark filing for something called Fallout: Shadow of Boston; surprise, it’s a hoax. Bethesda’s twitter account has, for once, commented on rumour and speculation and emphatically denied the story.
Here’s the tweet, it’s fairly unambiguous:
The German trademark filing that's making the rounds is a hoax. This didn't come from our offices.
— Bethesda (@bethesda) November 5, 2014
There’s substantial history with Fallout 4 hoaxes, of course. The internet was captivated last year (and, to be honest, so was this site) by an apparent ARG-type Fallout game, which eventually turned out to be a well-orchestrated wind up.
ThisĀ Shadow of Boston attempt hasn’t really gone as well, getting debunked before its even really begun.
Bethesda often seem to be on the receiving end of these attempted hoaxes. Today’s effort is reminiscent of the rather weak Dishonored 2: Darkness of Tyvia fakes which seem to keep popping up around major videogame trade events. Maybe it’s even the same person.
There are persistent rumours that any eventual Fallout 4 will take place in Boston (it’s an important area, lore-wise,) but it’ll hopefully wind up with a better name than this attempted hoax.
As for when any real information about Fallout 4 may emerge, Bethesda’s Pete Hines suggests that we won’t be hearing anything in the near future.
@Albus961 you shouldn't expect info anytime soon
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) November 2, 2014
