VAN BUREN: Inside the Cancelled Fallout 3

Before Bethesda, Fallout 3 was a game being developed by Black Isle studios, an internal developer at Interplay created by the Fallout 1 team led by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky. Over the next 2 years, Fallout Van Buren would be developed by Chris Avellone, Josh Sawyer and Feargus Urquhart until their departure from Black Isle Studios and the closure of Interplay. This documentary catalogs Van Buren's development, legacy, and the fan projects dedicated to recreating it

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SOURCES:

For a complete list of sources, documents, and extras visit:

Tech Demo:

The Last Days of Black Isle Studios

That Time Someone Else Was Making Fallout 3

Chris Avellone Practice 2015

Avellone Tweets on Fallout Bible

Interplay Losses and Fargo Departure

Brian Fargo Still Owns the trademark for InXile:

Bethesda Softworks to Develop Fallout 3

Obsidian Retrospective

“We Never Bid on Fallout” Leonard Boyarsky

FOBOS 2: Vagrant Lands and other Canceled Fallout Games

The Rise and Fall of Troika

Fallout Yesterday Patreon

Beyond Boulder Dome:

Project Van Buren
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
1:06 Interplay Software
3:19 Enter Chris Avellone
5:54 Beginning Production
8:09 The Story and Gameplay
13:21 Black Isle Crumbles
16:26 The Fallout Schism
18:20 Fallout 3 and Obsidian
20:11 Fallout New Vegas
22:35 Van Vegas
25:34 Van Buren's Legacy
26:56 Fan Projects
29:43 Outro
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Get in touch here:

[LuckStat]

Hey, thanks so much for watching! Tim Cain recently added some additional context to this video about him taking a look at Van Buren in 2003, please check it out as well:

Additionally, my next video is about Black Isle's work on their cancelled Baldur's Gate 3, so you're going to want to subscribe!

[marcjansson]

"It would be the last fallout game for nearly 5 years"
I love how that sounds like a long time, yet we havent had a regular mainline game since 2015

[vMadMatt]

Me listening to the plot of van buren: "Holy shit, these guys should play that new vegas game"

[Briosafreak]

Hi there. I'm Briosafreak, the guy that organized the Van Buren Leaks, the release of concept art, screenshots and the Alpha Demo for the game. Just wanted to say that this video is quite impressive, didn't saw any of the usual misconceptions or errors that sometimes show up here and there. I still have the original code, art and chat logs from those days, and I really don't have anything to add, so congrats, good work.

[planescaped]

It's great that so much of Van Buren was recycled to make Fallout New Vegas. Either by being translated into the game or by serving as periphery world-building.

[p.budiel]

The thing about New vegas, not only is not Van Buren, but its more of a sequel, asuming some events of Van Buren as past events.

[hereniho]

I like how, unlike Lonesome Road, the missiles cannot be stopped. There's an inevitability that destruction will happen. But you still have a choice about where that will happen and more importantly whrre it WON'T happen, and deciding such based on whatever you think is best for mankind.

Kinda puts you in the same shoes as Mr House in a way.

[TheSoleDweller]

3:22 Chris Avellone is not only a Falllout dev but also was made into a character in Fallout (1998).
When you reached at him in the game, no dialogue was possible but if you insisted on clicking his character (three times, if I remember correctly), he would attack you after warning you about getting bothered.
Inside joke, I guess...

[JoacoN]

Hi im JoacoN, one of the devs from Revelation Blues, great to see a shotout for the mod from you! It helps a lot to get the mod into peoples mind and create more public interest in it.
Work has been very good so far, I joined February 2022, and we are working a lot into a special gift for the communitty

[ElevenStudios]

I wonder if Chris Avellone tracks the progress of any of these fan recreations? It must be weird to know there are people activly trying to finish a project you stopped working on years ago.

[NoExplosionsMcgee]

Man, being able to spin the camera around in a traditional CRPG Fallout game would've been so cool! Imagine the unique gameplay and level design opportunities that one change alone could've introduced into the game. 🙁

[zackeryparkerson]

“Behind whatever Elder Scrolls game you played first.” It hurts because it’s true.

[Toxic_Korgi]

Its pretty crazy seeing how much if this was evolved and revamped into New Vegas. Additionally how much of the main story inspired the recent tv show to the point the villain are the same in some aspects.

[Ratich]

So that's where Arcade from Fallout NV had his roots since Obsidian is comprised of former Black Isle employees

[eclipsegst]

The biggest issue with this project seeing the light of day has been that over the years they messed with different engines, and new projects always ended up starting mostly from scratch again. I really hope PVB sees the light of day.

[micahsean]

It's insane how creative Fallout is.

[lorddervishquinterosara]

Also, Fallout New Mexico, a mod being developed for FNV, has elements from the original Van Buren docs, like their own version of the Tibbet's prison

[ertb]

16:23. "And the last Fallout for nearly 5 years" We really have come full circle haven't we?

[dathunderman]

Nice B-Rolls! Usually people just put generic royalty free stock clips but I like that you actually put in effort to fit the fallout setting

[auguststafford]

compassionate but still realistic. it's easy to romanticize or idealize something that never actually happen - you don't have to deal with a buggy launch ruining expectations like Cyberpunk 2077, you don't have to deal with an underwhelming realization of an amazing idea like the OG Fable. That we got A Fallout 3 at all, let alone New Vegas, is more than enough for me personally.