GamesRPGFalloutFallout: New VegasFallout: New Vegas director says the RPG was criticized “for playing very similarly to Fallout 3,” but his true inspiration was Fallout 1When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGFalloutFallout: New VegasFallout: New Vegas director says the RPG was criticized “for playing very similarly to Fallout 3,” but his true inspiration was Fallout 1When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Bethesda)
Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer says that his entry in the RPG series was criticized for its similarity to Bethesda’s effort, but that it was, in fact, the first game in the franchise that shaped his development style.
In an interview withRock, Paper, Shotgun, Sawyer discusses how, when Fallout: New Vegas released in 2010, “it was criticized for playing very, very similarly to Fallout 3.” In many ways, however, that was a necessity - developer Obsidian was only given 18 months to make its spin-off, which released barely two years after Fallout 3.
For Sawyer, that timeframe - basically unheard of in the modern industry - meant that he simply didn’t have time to reinvent the wheel. “We took a shipped game and made a spin-off without really changing the underlying tech,” he explains. As a result, “we focused almost entirely on content.”
That skillset was something that Sawyer spent a long time honing: “The successful early projects of my career were almost all content sequels or spin-offs of existing tech bases. Andit focused my mind very heavily on the production process. Very quickly I adapted to ‘How can we make something fresh in a very short period of time, using what we have?’ It was a very lean and bang-for-buck approach to development.”
That content-driven approach, however, has certainly worked in New Vegas' favor. Now counted as one of thebest Fallout gamesof the bunch, Sawyer says that “there was a lot of effort put into making sure you can twist and turn through the different factions and resolve things how you want,” and that “our team had the luxury of focusing on conversations and quests, and really making those as robust and dynamic as we could.”
That dynamism, Sawyer says, stems from the fact that “a lot of the philosophy that I approached New Vegas with was the philosophy of Fallout 1, or how I interpreted. Fallout 1 was foundational for me in understanding how role-playing games should be made.”
With that in mind, Fallout 1 has an enormous RPG resting on its shoulders, even if you only look at Sawyer’s work; series including Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, Planescape Torment,Pillars of Eternity, New Vegas, and Pentiment have all felt his input over the past 25 years. Perhaps Fallout’s certified icon status means it should come as no surprise that it’s left its mark on so many different games from just one developer, but it remains a fascinating part of game dev taxonomy.
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Fallout New Vegas director doesn’t “care” what the Fallout TV show does with the RPG’s lore: “It was never mine.”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams’ disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams’ disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”