It's happening: Fallout 4 to be revealed later today

Countdown to the apocalypse

It's finally happening, folks: Fallout 4 is upon us! Bethesda began teasing the fourth game in their splatter-filled, post-apocalyptic series yesterday, posting a countdown clock on the Fallout website emblazoned with the words 'Please stand by'. The countdown will end at 3pm here in the UK.

We all knew Fallout 4 was coming - after all, rumours about the follow-up to New Vegas have been swirling away for years, but this will be our first proper glimpse at this elusive new entry. What form the reveal will take is unknown at this point. I'm entertaining the vain hope that we'll be treated to some in-engine footage, maybe even a smidgen of gameplay, but it'll probably be a CGI trailer, or, if Bethesda are feeling really bathetic, a teaser for their E3 conference taking place in a little under a fortnight.

Before Bethesda open the vault doors and let Fallout 4 loose on the world, though, I've decided to travel back in time and pick apart some of the rumours surrounding the game, of which there have been many. The earliest indication we had that Fallout was in development came way back in 2013 when the studio gave us word they were closing up shop in Skyrim and moving onto a new project. A lot of us, myself included, took this to mean the studio was finally ready to start working on Fallout 4 in earnest.

Around about the same time, a leaked document going under the codename The Institute found its way into hands of Kotaku. This tantalising missive, which Kotaku claimed was the real McCoy, revealed that Fallout 4 would take place in Boston, Massachusetts. In the Fallout 'verse this stretch of irradiated wasteland is known as The Commonwealth, and is home to the crumbling remnants of MIT, now known as The Institute.

One of the more interesting titbits in the leaked document relates to the player character, who, for the first time, will have a voice. Historically, Fallout protagonists have been mute, so, if true, this will be quite a (welcome) departure for the series.

Since then, there have been sporadic rumours relating to Fallout 4 - last January the voice actor for Three Dog, one of Fallout 3's major players, teased his involvement in the game - but concrete info on the game has been harder to come by than Nuka Cola bottle caps. Some hardcore Fallout fans, so desperate for a peek at the new instalment, even created an elaborate teaser with the aim of forcing Bethesda to reveal their hand and lift the lid on Fallout 4 early. Sadly, this didn't work.

I'll be back after the announcement airs to share my thoughts. Till then, please stand by.