The original Fallout was created as a sequel to EA’s 1988 title, Wasteland, Interplay’s former co-founder has revealed. However, they did all they could to avoid being sued by EA.
The original Fallout title came almost a decade after (1997) the first Wasteland game (1988), and both games had the same developers, Interplay. However, Wasteland was published by EA, and Fallout was developed and published by Interplay. Now, Interplay’s co-founder has revealed that many people are unaware that Fallout was a sequel to Wasteland.
Interplay Did Everything to Avoid Being Sued by EA
Spotted by GamesRadar, Brian Fargo, the co-founder of Interplay, revealed new details about Fallout and Wasteland during an interview with Mr.MattyPlays. Fargo explicitly stated that a lot of people don’t know that Fallout “was a sequel to Wasteland.” Fargo explained that players are unaware of the story behind it, but “that’s why it went from tunnels and trolls and then we needed a system – mercenaries, spies, and private eyes – and then that’s how we got the skill-based system with Wasteland, and then that went to Fallout.”
The former co-founder explains that while developing Fallout, even though it took heavy inspiration from Wasteland, Interplay did everything they could “not to be sued by Electronic Arts”. Fallout even had “your life ends in the Wasteland”, Fargo stated. However, he loves that the game has an origin story that he is very proud of, and he learned a lot from his time on the original Wasteland.
Fargo eventually did make sequels for the Wasteland series as the studio head at inExile Entertainment, with Wasteland 2 releasing in 2014 and Wasteland 3 releasing in 2020.
In other news, the Fallout: Bakersfield trailer reveals an insane take on the 1997 classic. Additionally, Fallout 5 has reportedly been fully greenlit, according to a recent claim. What are your thoughts on Fallout being a sequel to Wasteland? Let us know through the official Insider Gaming forums discussion.
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