Highlights

  • Fallout 1 and 2 won't be remastered anytime soon, as Todd Howard prioritizes keeping them playable as-is on PC.
  • Despite their age, the original Fallout games are considered classics, with their charm lying in their vintage design.
  • Todd Howard believes the best way to experience Fallout 1 and 2 is on PC with mouse and keyboard, rather than on consoles.

Todd Howard has some bad news to share for fans that want the first two games in the Fallout series to receive fresh coats of paint, as it looks like these classic titles won't be touched anytime soon. Despite strong demand from some sections of the gaming community, the original, Fallout games by Interplay may not return for the foreseeable future, based off of what Howard said in a recent interview.

Though they are still widely regarded as some of the best turn-based CRPGs of all time, Fallout 1 and 2 are games that clearly show their age, in large part due to their dated graphics and control schemes. Considering the fact that both titles launched in the late 1990s, about a decade before the first fully-3D installment in the franchise (Fallout 3) was released, it's no wonder that the games haven't held up the best from a visual and technical perspective. It's because of this that many fans have dreamed of Fallout 1 and 2 remakes that rectify the archaic nature of the original games and make the titles playable in first-person, bringing them in line with their modern successors. Bethesda Game Studios head Todd Howard recently made some comments about such a prospect, but his response is not what some fans will want to hear.

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In an interview with the popular YouTuber MrMattyPlays, Todd Howard was asked if Bethesda had considered the idea of modernizing the first two Fallout games to make them more beginner-friendly. In response, the renowned game developer essentially said that remasters or remakes of Fallout 1 and 2 were not currently on the table at the Maryland-based studio. Rather, Howard insisted that the "main priority" for BGS is simply to "make sure" that the classic Interplay CRPGs remain playable on PC. Beyond that, though, conversations at Bethesda about bringing Fallout 1 and 2 back have never gone anywhere because the company's "priorities in terms of [development work]. . . haven't been in those areas."

Todd Howard Believes That Fallout 1 and 2 Would Be Best Left Untouched

Todd Howard defended Bethesda's decision to leave Interplay's difficult Fallout games untouched by stating that "some of the charm of games from that era... is a little bit of that age." The game designer also showed a lack of interest in the idea of porting Fallout 1 and 2 to consoles as-is. "Anything is possible, but [making console ports of Fallout 1 and 2] is gonna be a longer dev throw, and you sort of have to ask yourself, is that where we want to put our time right now, or is it best played the way it was on a PC?" said Howard. "I think right now, if you ask me, I think the best way to play it is on a PC, mouse and keyboard the way it was."

Ultimately, Todd's blunt comments on this matter may disappoint some members of the Fallout fanbase. Perhaps some day, however, fans may be able to convince Bethesda that it should remake Fallout 1 and 2.

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Fallout

Fallout is a franchise built around a series of RPGs set in a post-nuclear world, in which great vaults have been built to shelter parts of humankind. There are six main games, various spin-offs, tabletop games, and a TV series from Amazon Studios.