Before Fallout 3's launch in 2008, Bethesda's revival of the post-apocalyptic was criticized both by die-hard Fallout fans and portions of the mainstream gaming audience with one, unified dismissal: "Oh, it's just Oblivion with guns." 18 years later, Todd Howard says Fallout 3's similarities to Oblivion were only natural, since it was Bethesda's follow-up to the fantasy RPG.
"The Oblivion-ish-ness of Fallout 3, I think, has to do with, in many respects, it's our follow up to Oblivion," Howard muses in an interview with Game Informer. "So, it's, you know, we’re rebooting Fallout, which people haven’t seen in a while, in an all-new way. But you’re coming off Oblivion, which was hugely popular, so you’re getting an audience that you know expects both."
