Lost legacy: Fallout creator tells how he was forced to destroy the game's source code
The history of the iconic Fallout is shrouded in various interesting facts. Tim Kane, one of the creators of the original game, said that he was "ordered to destroy" all his notes, code and prototypes created while working at Interplay, the first developer and publisher of Fallout. As a result, the original source code and assemblies of the game are irretrievably lost.
Here's What We Know
In his new YouTube video, Kane explained that after his dismissal from Interplay, he was ordered to destroy absolutely everything, assuring that the studio itself "will be the custodian of the archive". However, Kane later found out that the studio had "lost everything".
"There are a lot of organisations that claim to be custodians of the archive, but they're terrible at it," Kane said. "They lose the assemblies they're supposed to keep. It's happened many times in my career."
"When I left Fallout, I was told: "You have to destroy everything you have," and I did. My entire archive. Early design notes, code for different versions, prototypes, all the GURPS code - everything was gone."
"When they finally contacted me a few years after I left, they said: "Oh, we've lost everything," I thought they were trying to trick me into saying, "We'll sue you if you say you have it." It turned out they weren't, they really lost everything."
Kane emphasised that this experience highlights the importance of programmes like GOG that are dedicated to preserving gaming heritage.
"Individuals and organisations are actively working against preservation," Kane added. "The amount of material that's been lost about Fallout and its early development saddens me. I had it. I had it in digital form, and I was ordered to destroy it."
"Many other games released in the 70s, 80s, and 90s have lost their code and graphic assets. Sure, you can try to hack into databases and pull these things out, but you'll only get the end product. You won't get the original source code or graphics. I think this is happening even with games from the 00s, 10s, and probably now in the 20s. Materials are lost," Kane said.
This story is another reminder of the importance of preserving digital heritage for future generations. Although, fortunately, you can still play the first Fallout officially.
Source: Timothy Cain
