In a new video, Tim Cain explains why he didn’t work on Fallout 2 after laying the groundwork for the first title…

Cain has been in the news with his videos almost weekly, as the veteran game developer shares more of his storied gaming history spanning three decades. Now he’s explained why he didn’t work on Fallout 2. Fallout emerged in 1997 and played a considerable role in the resurgence of CRPGs. It was hugely popular for its atompunk style and well-developed mechanics, but after Bethesda bought the IP, owned initially by Interplay, it went in a slightly different direction.

On the other hand, Cain didn’t work on Fallout 2 for several reasons. After his resounding success with the first game, his ‘reward’ would have been to meet the deadlines for the sequel, and he didn’t want to crunch development and take on more responsibility. He didn’t want any of it. He also didn’t like that the work on the Fallout 2 box art was outsourced without his permission, and he felt he was being ‘undermined.’ The last straw was the bonuses. It was his job, and he received far less, even though he was a crucial studio member.

Brian Fargo, the head of Interplay, told Cain that he was paid less to encourage him to perform better next time. Not a motivational move… well, yes, but not in the way you might think! Cain wrote his letter of resignation later that night, and his departure led to a brain drain as many others left Interplay. Unfortunately, the crunch was already there in the ’90s, and later, Fallout 76 also suffered from it (Bethesda made players angry with many, many, MANY other things…).

So here, too, the saying is true: good work should be appreciated. Financially, too.

Source: GameRant