Following up on a Reuters report that suggested Bethesda could release Fallout 4 in 2011, marketing VP Pete Hines has labeled the speculation as "jumping to conclusions, and then some."

"An accurate headline would probably be, 'Fallout 4 before 2018,' since that's what he really said (10 years is too long)," Hines explained to Edge Online.

In the report, executive producer Todd Howard noted his belief that the ten-year wait between Fallout 2 and Fallout 3--due October 28 on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360--was too long, adding that three years between games was a good span.

However, Howard did not mention specifically mention Fallout 4, suggesting that his quote may have been taken out of context and may instead refer to Bethesda's next major game, which could be another entry in its acclaimed Elder Scrolls series.

It's been a ten-year wait for Fallout 3, which hits retailers in PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 form next week, and developer Bethesda has now started discussing its future plans.

Executive producer Todd Howard states that three years is a good space between games, leading Reuters to suggest that Bethesda could deliver more post-apocalyptic role-playing goodness with Fallout 4 in three years, or 2011.

"Ten years between Fallout is a bit long, but I think there's this nostalgia factor," Howard explained. "I think it's good for people to miss things."

Former property holder Interplay is currently working on a Fallout MMO, which must have $30 million in funding and enter "full-scale" development by April 2009, with a release no later than April 2014, or Interplay loses the rights.