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Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterThere was a time when Fallout was seen as more of a cute, playtime project than the multi-bajillion-dollar IP Bethesda ultimately helped turn it into, says the RPG's co-creator Tim Cain.
Speaking to Game Informer for its massive new Fallout oral history, Cain recalls the early days of Fallout at Interplay, the franchise's first home before Bethesda purchased it in 2004. But it wasn't a particularly warm home to the original Fallout devs, it seems, as Cain remembers feeling like "we were a B-tier side project at Interplay."
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Fallout designer Leonard Boyarsky remembers it similarly, agreeing that "it was very much like, here's our team off in the corner, and there's the rest of Interplay" – but he's grateful for it.
"I was aware enough to know this is weird in a really good way," he muses. "This is like we're making an indie game, but we have a steady job, and we have steady paychecks, and we're not trying to find a publisher for it, because once they saw what we were doing – and they appreciated what we were doing – they're just like, 'Well, we have these much more important games! The Dungeons and Dragons games are licensed to print money. Just don't bother anybody. Just go over there and do your thing and it'll be great.'"
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ NewsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Bethesda Softworks Bethesda Game Studios CATEGORIES PC Gaming Platforms
Ashley BardhanSenior WriterAshley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.
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After Morrowind and Oblivion, hardcore RPG fans didn't want Bethesda on Fallout 3
Explore the history of the Fallout games with some of the devs who helped bring the iconic RPG franchise to life
Fallout creators wanted to buy the IP, but Bethesda sniped them with a $6 million bid: "They would have laughed"
Bethesda was scared of making Fallout 3, but by Fallout 4 it had chilled out: "we don't have to be so reverential now"
Fallout co-creator Tim Cain explains why he's not making more new IPs: "Other people have made way more money"
"I don't think Bethesda hates Fallout," says New Vegas lead, "they just don't fully understand its roots"
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