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The original isometric Fallout games are titles just begging for a proper remaster. (In fact, Wasteland developer InXile would be perfect for it.) Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done as the source code for the earlier games in the series was ordered to be destroyed.
In a new episode of their ongoing YouTube series, Fallout creator Tim Cain explained that the original three games in the series had their source code destroyed by Interplay. In fact, it was company policy to do so.
Why the Fallout source code is lost
After leaving Interplay, Cain explained that he was ordered to destroy all backups of Fallout assets he had at the time, including the game’s source code.
“When I left Fallout, I was told ‘you have to destroy everything you have, and I did,” the creator said. My entire archive, early design notes, code for different versions, prototypes, all the GURPS code… gone.”
Cain explained that Interplay eventually reached out a few years later to see if they still had assets for the original Fallout games, likely before the company sold the IP to Bethesda. While the game creator thought the company was trying to catch him out, it turns out they had actually lost all versions of the games’ source code.
“There’s a lot of organisations out there that demand to be the archive keeper, and then they do a terrible job at it,” the veteran game developer said. “They lose the assets they were in charge of keeping. This has happened multiple times in my career.
“When they finally, a few years after I left, contacted me and said ‘oops, we lost it’ I thought they were trapping me into ‘we’re going to sue you if you say you have it.’ Turns out, no, they really lost it.”
Cain explained that the sheer amount of lost work “saddens” him. With companies actively working against the preservation of projects – especially back then – it’s impossible to calculate how much has been lost over the years.
“The amount of stuff that’s been lost about Fallout and its early development saddens me. I had it. I had that in digital form and was ordered to destroy it,” he said.
“So many other games that came out in the ’70s, and ’80s and ’90s – the code is gone,” he continued. The art assets are gone. Sure, you can try to crack open the databases and pull out those things, but you’re only getting the final stuff. You’re not getting the original source code or art[work]. I think it’s even happening for the ’00s and the ’10s and probably now in the ’20s. Stuff is being lost.”
For some games, like Super Mario 64, fans have spent years reverse engineering games to be able to create new ports. If we want a true Fallout 2 remaster, that’s probably a requirement as nothing exists from back when they were created. Well, unless someone on the team has kept a cheeky backup.
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