RPG veteran Josh Sawyer says Black Isle Studios' stab at Fallout 3 was never going to be made in time: "With the staff we had it would have been at least two years"
Jul. 29, 2024Fallout co-creator Tim Cain had suggested it would take 18 months
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Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer says that Black Isle Studios was never going to complete its second canceled Fallout 3 project in the timeframe that’d been given for it, saying it would have taken “at least” another two years with the team that was available.
This decision to cancel Van Buren was apparently fully finalized after Fallout co-creator Tim Cain was brought in to test out the in-progress RPG, and was asked how long he thought it’d take to complete and ship it.Cain suggested 18 months, noting that he didn’t think it’d be possible to do it in any faster than 12 months even with a “death march crunch,” but was then apparently told by the vice president of Interplay that any answer over six months would have resulted in the game’s cancellation.
In a newthreadon Twitter, where Sawyer discusses his “useful skill” of being able to tell when a gamewon’tbe completed “with close to 100% accuracy,” one Twitter user brings up this story of Cain’s consultation on Van Buren. Sawyer responds, confirming that the RPG was never going to be completed in six months, and suggesting that Cain’s 18-month estimate may not have been enough, either.
“Honestly his 18 month estimate was optimistic,” Sawyersays. “With the staff we had it would have been at least two years [in my opinion.]
“I don’t think Tom French [Fallout 2 programmer] or I had ever suggested nine months was feasible.”
It took another five years before a game called Fallout 3 was ever released, even if it was a different one made by different developers. Even if Van Buren never came to be, though, you can at least try out afan-made version of it as a mod for Fallout 2, called Fallout Yesterday.
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Almost 100 modders spent 5 years making Fallout London, an RPG mod so expansive its creators call it “Fallout 4.5.”
I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
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