"Fallout was always seen as a B project": 28 years since the post-apocalyptic RPG launched, its original creators reflect on a long legacy – starting with that very first bomb

GamesRadar+ From the Vault header image for the history of Fallout .

From the Vault

(Image credit: John Strike / Bethesda)

In celebration of Fallout Season 2, GamesRadar+ is exploring the past, present, and future of Fallout. Over the next week, we'll be unearthing features From the Vault to take you inside the franchise like never before. Today, we dive into Retro Gamer's History of Fallout feature to explore how far the RPG series has come since the first explosive entry in 1997.

Considering the fact war never changes, it might be surprising how much the Fallout series has transformed over the past two decades. Beginning life as an isometric CRPG bathed in the glow of both tabletop, pen-and-paper role-playing games and its spiritual antecedent Wasteland, the franchise has developed from these niche beginnings into – somewhat ironically – a world-beater. Alright, not quite a 'world-exploder', which would have been quite fitting. But close enough.