The Accidental Apocalypse: Fallout's Secret Identity Revealed (It Was Nearly Wasteland 2!)
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Turns out, the legendary RPG *Fallout* almost didn't exist as we know it! Interplay co-founder Brian Fargo revealed it began development as *Wasteland 2* before a licensing kerfuffle forced a dramatic, game-changing 'pivot' that ironically birthed an industry icon.
Right, so here’s a yarn that’ll make your eyebrows do a little dance: Imagine one of the most iconic post-apocalyptic RPGs, a titan of the genre, wasn't actually meant to be that game at all. Nope, it was originally cooking up as something else entirely. We're talking about *Fallout*, mate, and apparently, its origin story is wilder than a super mutant rave.
I’ve been tinkering with this bit of gaming lore, and bloody hell, it’s got layers. You know that feeling when you try to brew a simple potion, but it accidentally turns into a portal to another dimension? That’s pretty much what happened with *Fallout*, according to one of its founding wizards, Brian Fargo.
See, before *Fallout* became the wasteland wanderer simulator we all know and love – complete with its quirky Vault Boys, grim humor, and those rather unfriendly Deathclaws – it was apparently slated to be a direct sequel to an earlier gem: *Wasteland*. Now, *Wasteland* has its own loyal following, don't get me wrong. Released back in '88 by Interplay, it basically wrote the book on post-nuclear America long before *Fallout* ever fired its first plasma rifle. It even saw a bit of a revival in the early 2020s, with a remaster of the original and the rather excellent *Wasteland 3* dropping that same year. But let's be fair, *Fallout* has, shall we say, significantly eclipsed its thematic elder sibling.
Now, the juicy bit comes from a recent chat Brian Fargo, the co-founder of Interplay (and later inXile Entertainment, which picked up the *Wasteland* mantle again), had with MrMattyPlays. Fargo spilled the grog, revealing that the *Fallout* development started with the full intention of creating *Wasteland 2*. Think about that for a second. The entire trajectory of an industry-defining franchise hinged on a secret identity!
Fargo reckons the series has transcended anything he ever dreamt of – which, let's be honest, is a lovely bit of humility from someone who helped conjure it. But he also let slip that for a few months, the team was indeed beavering away on *Wasteland 2*. Then, suddenly, they had to 'pivot'. You know that glorious game development term, 'pivot'? It's usually code for 'something went wildly off the rails, probably legally, and we had to scramble like mad.'
And scramble they did! The reason for this dramatic shift? Licensing, of course. The original *Wasteland* was published by Electronic Arts, and Interplay didn't want to tango with a lawsuit from the gaming giant. So, they did everything they could to avoid being sued. It’s like trying to make a dragon out of a griffin – you want something similar, but distinct enough that the wizard who owns the griffin can't claim copyright infringement on your scales.
This is where things get really fascinating, because the team had to consciously de-Wasteland their game. Fargo specifically pointed to the iconic Deathclaws. He said they started out as 'Shadowclaws' – *Wasteland*'s own reptilian nasties. Now, if you look at 'em side-by-side, you can see the family resemblance, but Deathclaws mutated (literally and figuratively) into something much more terrifying and bipedal, while Shadowclaws stayed on all fours. Apparently, early concept art for Deathclaws even had them looking a bit werewolf-like, showing just how far the team was willing to stretch to make their new monster legally distinct. It’s a pretty clever move, isn't it? A bit like having to rename your spell 'Fireball' to 'Incinerate Orb' just to avoid a court summons from the Grand Magus.
It’s also worth noting that Tim Cain, another pivotal figure in *Fallout*'s early days (he worked on *Fallout* and *Fallout 2*), had a slightly different take previously. He’d mentioned that the team was already going in a pretty unique direction, almost a 'spiritual successor' vibe, when the news hit about the *Wasteland* license falling through. So, in his view, it didn't have a 'huge impact' because they were already charting their own course. It's a subtle but important distinction – was it a full-blown pivot from a direct sequel, or just a formal severing of ties for a game already evolving beyond its roots? Either way, the legal hurdle pushed them firmly into creating something undeniably their own.
This whole story is a brilliant reminder of the often chaotic, unpredictable nature of game development. It's not always a perfectly laid-out blueprint; sometimes, the greatest innovations are born out of necessity, legal headaches, or just plain accidental magic. Imagine a world where *Fallout* never found its unique voice, where it remained tethered to *Wasteland*'s shadow (or Shadowclaws!). We might have missed out on a whole universe of irradiated wonder.
And isn't it wonderfully ironic that Brian Fargo, after all that, eventually circled back to the *Wasteland* series, releasing *Wasteland 2* and *3* through his own studio, inXile Entertainment? It’s almost like the gaming universe had to balance the scales, giving him the chance to finally make the sequels he initially envisioned, even if the 'other' game he accidentally created went on to become an absolute legend.
Fair dinkum, what a ride. It just goes to show you, sometimes the most groundbreaking adventures start not with a grand vision, but with a simple spell gone deliciously, wonderfully wrong.
Tags: Fallout, Wasteland, Game Development, Brian Fargo, RPG History
Original article: Game Rant