Fallout Was a Sequel to EA’s Wasteland, Former Interplay Co-Founder Reveals

A Tale of Two Post-Apocalyptic Gamers’ Dreams

Before we get into the EA-shaped elephant in the room, let’s rewind to the beginnings. Back in 1988, Wasteland was one of those rare games that felt revolutionary. It offered gritty, complex storytelling and RPG mechanics that were way ahead of their time. It wasn’t just surviving; it was building a story in a nuclear wasteland where choices mattered, long before “emergent narrative” was even an industry buzzword. It had a small but fiercely loyal fanbase, and with that came a push for a sequel.

Enter the early ‘90s. Interplay knew Wasteland had untapped potential, and plans for a sequel were tossed around internally. But here’s where things get messy. Interplay didn’t actually own the Wasteland IP at this point; Electronic Arts did. And EA wasn’t exactly handing over the rights with a smile and a handshake. Stuck between a rock and a radioactive hard place, Interplay had to pivot.

Licensing Limbo Leads to a Masterpiece

When you think about it, losing the rights to Wasteland was less a disaster and more a blessing in disguise. Without the limitations of sticking to a pre-existing IP, Interplay could expand their creative playground. They slathered Fallout with dark humor, retro-futuristic aesthetics, and enough 1950s paranoia to make you want to build your own backyard fallout shelter (we won’t judge). It was less a direct sequel to Wasteland and more a spiritual torchbearer, embodying the same gritty world-building while branching into its own unique identity.

Brian Fargo himself has taken a bit of a “no hard feelings” stance on the whole thing. Sure, EA held onto Wasteland, but life goes on. “I’m happy people still think of them as connected in spirit,” Fargo is essentially saying, likely while sipping on some fine wine poured into a chalice shaped like Vault Boy’s head. (Okay, we don’t actually know if that’s true, but it feels right.)

Fallout Versus Wasteland Today

Fast forward to now, and both FA and Wasteland have taken on lives of their own. This game became a mainstream critical darling, spawning iconic entries like Fallout 3, New Vegas, and Fallout 4 (we don’t talk about Fallout 76’s launch). Meanwhile, the Wasteland series made its triumphant return under Fargo’s crowdfunded inXile Entertainment, and Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3 have managed to recapture some of that original indie-RPG magic.

The best part? There’s room for both. While Fallout leans hard into cinematic, open-world narratives, Wasteland sticks with its tactical roots, perfect for hardcore RPG enthusiasts who don’t mind getting their hands dirty with some turn-based combat.

Why This Revelation Still Matters

Why should you care that Fallout was “almost” Wasteland 2? Aside from it being a killer trivia flex for your next geeky dinner party, it’s a reminder of how much creativity thrives under constraints. Interplay could have sulked and given up when they couldn’t make another Wasteland game. Instead, they pivoted and gave us a genre-defining classic.

And hey, it’s proof that even gaming giants like EA can’t completely crush a good idea. The DNA of Wasteland still lingers in radioactive glow, a testament to what great devs can accomplish when the chips are down, the bombs have dropped, and the IP is out of reach.

If nothing else, it’s a beautiful irony that both EA’s Wasteland and Fallout remain deeply entrenched in RPG history, immortalized in ways nobody could’ve foreseen.

The End?

If you’re still reading, you’re either a hardcore fan of gaming history or just a sucker for post-apocalyptic nostalgia. Either way, now you know. Fallout wasn’t just some random stroke of genius. It was born from unforeseen circumstances, creative problem-solving, and a little sprinkling of good old-fashioned spite. And frankly, the gaming world is all the better for it.

Want to dig deeper into this games origins and the legacy of Wasteland? Share your insights below. Or maybe just load up a game and thank Brian Fargo for spinning licensing lemons into irradiated lemonade.

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