Original Fallout Codes Lost

Fallout, one of the cult series of the video game world, has offered its fans a unique post-apocalyptic universe so far. However, the original source codes and design materials of the first game of the series are unfortunately no longer available. Fallout creator Tim Cain shared in a new YouTube video how the archive was lost and how big a loss it was in terms of game preservation efforts.

The Reason Fallout Codes Were Lost

According to the statements, Tim Cain created his own archive while working on Fallout. However, with an order from Interplay, he was forced to destroy all early design notes, codes and prototypes. “When I left Fallout, I was told, ‘You have to destroy everything,’ and I destroyed it. All the drafts, the codes for different versions, the writings for the GURPS system — they’re all gone,” Cain said.

According to Cain, Interplay had planned to create its own archives, but this was not successful. Cain said that the studio contacted him years later and said, “We lost the archive,” and that he thought this situation was a trap, but learned that the truth was that it was indeed lost. It is known that only the codes for the retail version of the game have been recovered at the moment, but that the materials from the early development stages and the original artwork have been completely lost.

This sad incident once again shows how critical proper archiving and preservation practices are in the gaming industry. Ubisoft’s efforts to make old games playable offline or PlayStation’s attempts to preserve its historical archive with data tapes in mines are just a few examples of efforts to prevent such losses.

The lost codes for the first Fallout game show that not only a game, but also an important part of video game history has been irretrievably lost. This incident reminds us once again that both new and old productions should be preserved more meticulously in the future.

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