Before Bethesda’s iteration of the post-apocalyptic wasteland, fans of the series enjoyed the originalFallouttitles by Black Isle Studios and Interplay. It featured an isometric view and turn-based combat, alongside immersive RPG elements.
Though Interplay has since handed off the rights of theFalloutseries to Bethesda, it’s interesting to look at what the original developer had planned for its own sequels to the series. Interplay had sequels forFallout TacticsandFallout: Brotherhood of Steelplanned, but its more interesting plans were for their own version ofFallout 3and aFalloutMMO.
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Van Buren, Black Isle’s Codename for Fallout 3
Interplay’s version ofFallout 3was to be developed by its subsidiary, Black Isle Studio, under the codenameVan Buren. It would have taken place in the year 2253, in the American southwest, bordering the New California Republic to its east.Van Burenwould also allow the playerto play as a human, a ghoul, or a super mutant.
The story begins with the player in prison.In classic RPG fashion, it’s up to them to explain how their character ended up there in the first place. After character creation, all the inmates are suddenly released from captivity by a huge explosion that takes out an entire prison wall, and the player is then free to roam the wasteland.
Eventually, the player finds out the truth behind the strange prison explosion, revealingVan Buren’smain questline. It was the doing of a mad scientist named Presper, who abhorred what the post-war world had come to and sought to rid it of people so that the Earth could start anew. To do this, he unearthed information on the New Plague, a virus that was supposed to be cured by theFEV strain ofFallout. With it, he began to spread the virus across remote locations in Boulder and Denver.
The sickness would then prompt ODYSSEUS, the quarantine prison where the player first wakes up, to capture and isolate infected individuals. Once the prison was nearly full, Presper would stage an attack, which will activate a ballistic satellite known asB.O.M.B.-001. The satellite will then start a countdown to drop a missile on the prison to cleanse the land of infected individuals. However, Presper intended to hijack the satellite’s command system and prompt another nuclear holocaust that would get rid of all but the most “pureblooded” humans. The player’s quest then is to stop (or perhaps even assist) Presper in his quest.LikeFalloutandFallout 2,Van Burenfeatured multiple areas, NPCs, and endings for the player to experience. It’s a shame it never came to fruition.
Project V13, Interplay’s Concept for a Fallout MMO
Interplay’svision for aFalloutMMOcame after they had sold theFalloutlicense to Bethesda. This was possible as the purchase agreement had clauses that allowed Interplay to license rights to work on it. However, these were strict agreements that, if not accomplished, would forfeit Interplay’s rights to create aFalloutMMO. Unfortunately, the tight requirements led to legal disputes between Bethesda and Interplay. Though Interplay won in the court case and was allowed to continue developing the game, it was later confirmed that the project was canceled in favor of another that was also titledProject V13. This, too, never came to fruition.
Sadly, there aren’t a lot of details about the gameplay or story content ofProject V13. There are only a few terms related to theFalloutorganizations that would populate the world. For example, players would be able to buy resources from “Crazy Ivan’s New and Used Guns,” “Dayglow,” and the “Duper Company.” There are also some more familiar company names, like Med-Tek and RobCo Industries.
All in all, it’s unfortunate that these games were never completed. Their premise and narratives are intriguing, especiallyVan Buren. As for theFalloutMMO, it’d be interesting to see how a company other than Bethesda might do with taking theFalloutworld online. Now, it seems fans can only ever speculate.
Fallout 76is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
