Bethesda Overcame Its Fears in Fallout 4: “We Don’t Need to Be So Reverential Anymore”

Fallout 3’s lead writer, Emil Pagliarulo, shared that Bethesda was initially apprehensive about developing the game, but by the time Fallout 4 rolled around, the team had found their groove.

Although it might seem like Bethesda has released a similar number of titles as Interplay did during its seven-year run, the studio has actually held the Fallout franchise for nearly two decades, acquiring the license in 2004 and fully purchasing it in 2007. The release of Fallout 3 in 2008 catapulted the series from a cherished cult classic on PC into mainstream fame, finally allowing console players to dive into a mainline entry.

Despite its success, Bethesda approached the creation of Fallout 3 with caution. Pagliarulo noted, “The big thing about Fallout 3 was it’s this transitional game. It was the first Fallout we had done. So we wanted to make sure we were really honoring the legacy of the franchise and those earlier games.” He emphasized that while they owned the franchise, feeling a creative ownership was a different challenge.

By the time Fallout 4 was released, Bethesda had been at the helm of the franchise for over ten years, having produced a game of the year winner with Fallout 3 and published the critically acclaimed New Vegas. Pagliarulo remarked, “I think by the time Fallout 4 came around we felt more comfortable with like okay, ‘we don’t have to be so reverential now, it’s not all nostalgia, we can create some new stuff.'”