Bear in mind that customising both parents is largely a side effect of being able to select (and customise) either, in order to play as that parent's six. Making the child a mix of the two only makes sense if the player decides to change the race of their character.

True, they could have gone with "first choose the six of your character, now that's fixed and unchangeable so choose the appearance", but that would have been... rather high-handed and unfriendly. So they allow the player to switch backward and forward between player-character sixes while customising appearance. Little (if any) extra work on their part, and a present to those players who think "But my character would never marry someone who looked like that!"

[edit]

By the way, I'm not firmly of the opinion that the spouse and child are definitely dead. Just that the customisation thing doesn't really tell us anything.

OK, fair point. It could've just been for the player's benefit.

because the kid is supposed to look like a cross between the male and female whats point of even having that if the kid is going to die maybe 5-20 minutes into the game

Yep, I'd prefer to have a little misdirection and some vagueness rather that spoilers before I've even played the game.

I'm not sure if I want them to be dead or not. It would help an alternate start if they were gone but it would also be powerful in terms of emotion if they were still alive but exited the vault years earlier. We'll see come Nov 10th.

I can see it now actually.

After a long trek through the Wasteland, you finally come face to face with your wife/husband. Unfortunately they no longer look as they once did. Exposure to radiation has Ghoulified them.

"I never thought I'd see you again, I don't know how you can face me looking like this. Do you still love me?"

- I will always love you.

- How could this have happened?

- Ew gross!

- Sorry Honey... [25 Gun]

I hope they're dead. They were holding me back.

Your spouse will just disappear, since they're the alternate player character, it wouldn't make sense for him/her to be in the game as a character. Shaun's fate is still unclear, but yeah, I'd say it's a safe bet that the spouse will never ever appear in the game as an NPC.

I'd say the wife/husband is dead. Or at least very aged near death etc.
The son's probably still around and kicking though. As many others have said, it wouldn't make sense for Bethesda to go through all the trouble of creating a child that looks like an amalgamation of both parents, just to have them kick the bucket right from the start.

I just hope we won't be spending the MQ running around looking for wife/husband and child, then later on just the child. That theme is just... overdone.
Now if they'd make something interesting with the child, like someone mentioned above, making him not needing help or making him the actual villain, that would be kinda fun.

And then there's this whole android theory. I know it's less and less likely, and that the cryo-theory is by far the more likely one, but finding out you're an android with your memories basically borrowed from some other guy would make things really interesting.
If wife/husband and child are still play a part in later quest, you could actually choose to embrace your "fake" memories, or just say "to hell with it", and basically leave them behind.
Looking forward to how it'll all turn out.

Eh, I don't see why. If the player chooses male, why shouldn't the wife turn up as an NPC. I mean, it's not like they haven't got a voice actor for her . Just have an NPC with dialogue written and recorded, change the name and appearance to match those chosen by the player...

Ok. Yeah, I see the problem. If players choose a grotesque appearance and stupid name for the spouse, it might be better if they were only lumbered with their little joke for the intro. Then again, Bethesda might just think, "Player freedom, consequence of choice... Yeah, we're good with this."

Give the spouse absolutely huge ears and a stupidly long nose. If the baby does re-appear as a grown-up NPC later, you'll recognise them immediately

Your going to find them in that light house that we see pictures of in the house like 40 times..also see concept art for it..calling it right now...they made the light house a place they would meet up if they got separated and [censored] hit the fan...boom

This is exactly what I suggested in one of my threads, as there are literally dozens of potential plot devices that we can pull out of the trailer and the demo. But this has to be one of the strongest ones. My theory is that you are led to the lighthouse via a message left in the veteran's hall, behind the podium where you were supposed to give your speech. (bear in mind that if you played as a female, this would effectively be reversed as the male character was still the one due to give the speech).

Your wife/husband is the Ghoul Redcoat. Calling it now.

But yeah, it's possible they're also at the lighthouse. Knowing Bethesda, they're there because of some 'light of hope' for the Androids escaping from their oppression.

“We are the light that guides those who are lost, dear. Just as we guide the Androids to us, we have guided you. Welcome home.”
*cue BoS attacking, murdering everyone*
“Run my sweet love...run... *urk*”
“G-give 'em hell, M-mommy/D-daddy... *urk*”

You can only choose a name for the PC not for your spouse.

All will become clear.

Be calm...

Because this is a common trope. "Everyone you love is dead- - wait! Maybe not!"

It's a trope to give the character purpose. Todd probably didn't say "and you think you are the sole survivour" to not spoil things.

Maybe they are really dead, but I believe that this will not be overlooked in the plot. Your character HAS to look for its relatives in some point of the story, even if to find out they are really dead and gone.

(but if they are not dead, I bet they are linked to some of the main plots and themes of the game. Maybe spouse became an android hybrid or something, or even a ghoul. Also, since you can choose the appearance of both of them, I think they can pull of a RDR and let us play with them after the end - if your character does not survive).

D'uh, my brain not work so good today .

Still, the appearance thing might still be a bit weird, if there's enough flexibility to make a truly horrendous or ludicrous face for the spouse, and they or the child turn out to have great plot significance later on as an NPC. Could make for some funny videos, though

Going into wild-speculation, but Nora is an etymological derivative of the word "honor".Maybe Nora sacrifices her life for Shaun?

Given Bethesda's habit of naming people something that suits their personality/narrative role, it wouldn't be out of the question.

Very possible. Writers tend to do that as a tiny foreshadowing method. Personally, I hope it's because of Nora Freeze (Fries). Because Batman.

Why not? I'll just kill her on sight if I see her alive in the Wasteland. Better to let her die at the beginning so I don't get to waste time later. Same thing with the kid.

She's essential, and carries the pistol of life-svcking doom, and everytime you encounter her, she will take all your caps, reduce you to 1 hitpoint, and take half your items.

From a writing perspective, it makes no sense to force a character and relationship on the player and immediately have them die without developing them or doing anything with them, not from a personal preference perspective.

And yet another thread running rampant with omission of the gender selectability of the player character.

Yeah, which is why I think the wife/husband will die, because they are just that: an alternative for the player character.
But it still seems to be way too much work to introduce your son, who is based of off your and your wifes appearances, just to have him die and be completely unrelated to the entire rest of the game.