Tim Cain Returns to Obsidian Full-Time
A new project for the father of Fallout
Something is brewing in the Obsidian pot, and judging by the big ingredient that has just been added to the recipe, a grand roast is in store: we are talking about Tim Cain, the legendary developer who in 1994, while working at Interplay, started the project that eventually culminated in the release of the first Fallout in 1997.
Through his personal vlog, Cain announced that he has suspended his semi-retirement – Tim turned a spry 70 years old last August – to accept a position at his old software house. More importantly: it will not be a remote consultancy as was the case for The Outer Worlds 2 but a full-time, in-person role. In short: Cain is back in the saddle for a new, as-yet-unannounced project.
Tim Cain: A Life in Video Games
While being the primary mind behind Fallout and Fallout 2 is enough to build an aura of admiration around Cain, the developer's experiences in the world of video games naturally don't stop at the two isometric RPG chapters. For Interplay, he also worked on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy before founding his own team under the name of Troika Games in 1998.
Under this label, Tim developed Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil [hey: we have a Review from 2003!]. He tried in vain to obtain the rights to Fallout, but these ended up in Bethesda's hands. He then collaborated with Activision on the development of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, which was also Troika studio's last project.
In 2005, Tim moved to Carbine Studios and ostensibly collaborated on the development of an Online RPG for NCSoft that never saw the light of day; he left the team in 2011 to join Obsidian, where he participated in the development of Pillars of Eternity [of which we have a Review] before directing work on the first The Outer Worlds [obviously Reviewed]. Subsequently, as mentioned, Cain entered pre-retirement and collaborated on the next chapter of the sci-fi RPG under the private label of Cain Games.
We can only await the announcement of Tim's new work under the aegis of Obsidian...