Black Isle Studios Interview
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GB: From your perspective as a gamer and designer, and though still early in development, did you feel Fallout 3 was headed in a positive direction when it was cancelled, and why or why not? Was it something that would have went on to make Fallout fans proud? John: The game was going in a very positive direction. First of all, every member of the team was a Fallout fan. Second, we were all told to play both the previous games before we started work on the third. Finally, we were assigned movies to watch that depicted similar themes from the 50's to set the mood. We reviewed every area of the game as a team and critiqued it for content, look, and feel of the original Fallout.
We think we would have done the fans proud!
GB: Was Fallout 3 merely a casualty of war from the closure of BIS, or was the cancellation of F3 more a cause of the closure of BIS?
John: Interplay was in dire financial condition. They had to make a decision as to which direction they wanted the company to go. They chose console and consolidated their employees accordingly.
Fallout 3 was a PC title. Black Isle was a PC development division. Need I say more?
GB: Do you think that Interplay should be using the Fallout universe in a console game? Do you personally feel that the Fallout franchise should be used in anything but a pure RPG?
John: There are people who predominantly play console games, people who predominantly play PC games, and a few people who play both. I think that it's good business sense not to put all of your eggs in one basket. By transferring Fallout to the console, an entire new player base is opened to the franchise.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that the style of the game is going to change because of the very nature of consoles. However, there are people out there who like that kind of play. Why deny them the pleasure of the Fallout universe? Why deny the company more sales to increase their future productivity? There is no reason.
That being said, what I do disagree with is the elimination of the PC development of the title. Sacrificing an established player base for an unknown is not a good business decision in my opinion. There should be room for both. It's called diversity.
GB: Would you like to see Interplay sell the Fallout franchise? If so, and you were able to once again become involved in the development of future Fallout titles, where would you like to see the Fallout franchise go over the next several years?
John: Yes and no. I'm really quite torn on this one.
First of all, I would hate to see Fallout given to some unknown. All of us at Black Isle cared deeply for that product. We took pride and ownership in it. It was the one binding force that kept us all at Interplay in those last months.
However, I would hate to see Fallout fade to nothing but a memory because I selfishly can't let go of it. So, yes it should be passed to another developer if Interplay cannot develop it.
As for the destiny of Fallout... I would like to see Fallout 3 produced according to our design and specifications. I liked the story and I think that the fans would as well. We held to every tradition of the original Fallout with just enough tweaks and adjustments to make it feel new and streamlined but not overly altered. I would like to see a Fallout 4, 5, and so on, but to be honest with you my vision is clouded right now as to where it should go. Forgive me.
GB: This may be a hard or unanswerable question, but from your perspective, did Interplay make a financial mistake (other than the unfortunate loss of jobs to BIS employees) shutting down BIS?
John: Black Isle Studios was a division with a proven record for releasing quality titles in the least amount of time. The employees were hard working and dedicated to their trade. It is my opinion that we were a very valuable asset and could have continued to produce revenue for the company. At the very least we could have been sold as a brand name/division to an interested party much the same way that Shiny was.
GB: Fallout 3 was not the only BIS game that Interplay cancelled. Previously, the role-playing game known as TORN and the project known as "Jefferson" on the Interplay forums (Baldur's Gate 3) were both cancelled. Whose decision was it to begin development of TORN, and how long was it in development before its cancellation? Do you feel that the game could have been another successful game for BIS if development would have continued?
John: I think that Torn would have been another Black Isle success. The design was good, the story was solid, and the game was unique in many ways. Unfortunately, I came onto the project late and can't give any more concrete information on it. I'll just say that I was proud to be working on it. It was a project I believed in.
GB: Can you tell us more about the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of Baldur's Gate 3? What was the lawsuit with Atari all about?
John: I cannot comment on any legal matters that Interplay Entertainment Corp. was or is involved in.
