"When Bethesda bought the Fallout license," RPG legend Josh Sawyer figured his "dream" of making a Fallout game was dead – until New Vegas came along

1. Games
2. RPGs
3. Fallout
4. Fallout: New Vegas

"When Bethesda bought the Fallout license," RPG legend Josh Sawyer figured his "dream" of making a Fallout game was dead – until New Vegas came along News By Dustin Bailey published 11 February 2026

"I figured I would never have a chance to work on the series again"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Bethesda)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter GamesRadar+ Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

Signup +

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Signup +

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

Signup +

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Signup +

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

Signup +

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

Signup +

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!

Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer has a long history with the post-apocalyptic RPG series going back to his time at Black Isle Studios, the development house that originally created the franchise. There, he worked on the original Fallout 3 – codenamed Van Buren – before financial troubles killed the project and the company. According to Sawyer, Fallout was a dream project, and he figured he'd never get another chance at the series. That is, until New Vegas came along.

After the release of Fallout 3, Bethesda wanted to return to The Elder Scrolls to create what would eventually become Skyrim. But the company still wanted to keep Fallout's successful revival going, which is why it wanted to offer a spin-off project to another studio. Obsidian, which was founded by a number of ex-Black Isle employees, seemed like a perfect fit.

"I was stunned, honestly," Sawyer tells Game Informer. "When I first came to Black Isle in 1999, it was my dream to work on a Fallout game. The studio got that chance in early 2003, when we were working on our version of Fallout 3. Around late 2003, Interplay started having serious financial troubles. I left Black Isle to go to Midway San Diego and later to Obsidian. When Bethesda bought the Fallout license a few years later, I figured I would never have a chance to work on the series again."

You may like

• Todd Howard says Obsidian was "the only choice" for Fallout: New Vegas
• Explore the history of the Fallout games with some of the devs who helped bring the iconic RPG franchise to life
• “We started with the solid foundation that we inherited from Fallout 3”: How Fallout: New Vegas delivered a bigger, better post-apocalypse by sticking to the script – mostly

Many of the scrapped ideas for Van Buren were eventually reintegrated into New Vegas, and Sawyer figures that Obsidian's continuity with Black Isle helped keep the spirit of the original games alive. "This is maybe an overly simplistic view," he explains, "but in a lot of ways, I feel like the tenets of the franchise were already closely aligned with Obsidian’s. Black Isle’s DNA heavily influenced Obsidian, even with a new generation of developers."

Bethesda's Fallout 3 offered plenty of freedom to explore, but its quests weren't as open-ended and reactive as those in the original Black Isle games. "In my mind, I went back to what I loved about the first Fallout: being able to go anywhere, to skip sections of the critical path, to kill anyone (or no one) and still complete the main quest," Sawyer says. "These aren’t elements in all Obsidian games (or Black Isle games) but they felt important for New Vegas. I also think it was important for us to hit a good balance of serious themes with goofball humor. Fallout has always dealt with important topics in a heartfelt way but can also be stupidly hilarious."

These days, New Vegas is usually ranked as the best Fallout game, thanks to its ability to blend the deep role-playing options of the older games with the more streamlined, immersive gameplay of the Bethesda era. But "it took about 5 years" for New Vegas to win over fans, according to Sawyer, since it launched in a very buggy state and looked a whole lot like Fallout 3. I guess genius really is never respected in its own time.

Fallout devs wanted uber-violent deaths to feel "like an R-rated version of Warner Bros cartoons" back in the '90s: "It was supposed to be funny."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact 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 Dustin BaileySocial Links NavigationStaff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Todd Howard says Obsidian was "the only choice" for Fallout: New Vegas    Explore the history of the Fallout games with some of the devs who helped bring the iconic RPG franchise to life    “We started with the solid foundation that we inherited from Fallout 3”: How Fallout: New Vegas delivered a bigger, better post-apocalypse by sticking to the script – mostly    Fallout co-creator "would have gone in a different direction" than Bethesda, but "sales say people love what they did"    After Morrowind and Oblivion, hardcore RPG fans didn't want Bethesda on Fallout 3    Fallout: New Vegas lead says "It took about 5 years" for fans to "come around" to the RPG    Latest in Fallout Fallout devs wanted uber-violent deaths to feel "like an R-rated version of Warner Bros cartoons" back in the '90s    After 10,000 hours, Ghost in the Shell lead still hasn't done Fallout 4's main quest as he just hangs out with Dogmeat    OG Fallout devs had to talk themselves into the RPG's name: "My immediate reaction was 'ehh...'"    These isometric screenshots of Fallout 4 make me wish Bethesda would return to the genre's roots    Fallout: New Vegas lead says "It took about 5 years" for fans to "come around" to the RPG    Fallout games get a huge boost in players thanks to Fallout season 2, although 3 is way less popular than you'd think    Latest in News RPG legend Josh Sawyer figured his "dream" of making a Fallout game was dead – until New Vegas came along    Saltburn director's controversial Wuthering Heights movie is set to win Valentine's Day weekend with a $70 million debut    Dan Trachtenberg is still looking to make more Predator movies despite deal with Paramount: "So many exciting things"    "Hang tight": Minecraft-inspired sandbox game returns to Steam as Microsoft drops DMCA claim, but demo issues persist    Director of scrapped animated movie speaks out on why Sony pulled the plug: "It wasn't commercial enough"    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 fan says their merch has been detained by officials who think it's "possibly" a relic    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Crisol: Theater of Idols review: "Blood ammo and dark folklore imagery should be more exciting than this sedate shooter"
2. 2Mario Tennis Fever review: "Riotous, hilarious, and chaotic, but it can't quite serve up the complete package"
3. 3Romeo is a Dead Man review: "Suda51's bloodiest, sharpest spectacle since No More Heroes"
4. 4Yakuza Kiwami 3 review: "The meatiest brawling this crime thriller's tackled in years combines with its warmest story"
5. 5Mewgenics review: "The Binding of Isaac collides with Into the Breach in a smart strategy roguelike"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
2. 2Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
3. 3A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
5. 5Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”