How Bethesda Came to Control the Fallout Franchise

The history of the Fallout games is anything but straightforward. It all began with Bethesda’s hefty $5.75 million deal, which solidified its position as the steward of the franchise, regardless of what the original creators might have envisioned. The Fallout IP was first owned and published by Interplay, notably through its internal studio, Black Isle Studios, which created Fallout 2. However, as Interplay faced significant financial troubles in the mid-2000s, it had no choice but to sell its valuable assets to maintain operations. According to Brian Fargo, co-founder of Interplay, “the only asset they really had to sell was Fallout.”

In a conversation with Game Informer, Fargo explained that a lawsuit stemming from these financial woes compelled Interplay to relinquish all Fallout rights to Bethesda. Yet, there’s an interesting twist; Fallout’s art director, Leonard Boyarsky, who had departed Interplay to co-found Troika Games—which developed acclaimed titles like Arcanum and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines—revealed he attempted to acquire the rights before Bethesda swooped in.

Boyarsky mentioned, “We got some possible investment interest,” but lamented they “never even got a chance to make an offer.” At the end of the day, Bethesda secured the rights for a reported $5.75 million. It’s worth noting that Cain had previously pointed out that he, Boyarsky, and Jason Anderson were essentially “outbid” for the rights to create Fallout 3. However, Boyarsky adds a layer of resignation to that tale: “It wouldn’t have mattered if they heard our offer or not,” he notes, “because they would have laughed.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Bethesda has tightly held onto the Fallout franchise ever since. They handed off Fallout: New Vegas to Obsidian and are currently working with Amazon on Fallout season 2. And while Fallout 5 looms in the future, likely after The Elder Scrolls 6, the core Troika team remains deeply involved in projects closely tied to the Fallout legacy. Tim Cain has rejoined Obsidian to work on a secret project hinted at after The Outer Worlds 2, while Boyarsky played a pivotal role as creative director.

Meanwhile, Bethesda’s design director expressed ambitious plans for Fallout 5, envisioning a game you could immerse yourself in for up to 600 hours, emphasizing, “that’s the kind of games we make.”