Fallout: 10 Biggest Controversies

"Batman. I like the idea that if I had enough money, time, and vengeance, I could become him".

- Todd Howard

The words of our benevolent leader, director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, encapsulates the enigmatic and often ridiculous nature of the Fallout franchise.

Never one to shy away from making bold statements regarding upcoming titles, the unbound ambition of Tim Howard is there for all to see. And hey, you would be ambitious too, if you were the mind behind the much-acclaimed Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises.

Ambition, however, has been the folly of many before him. Most gamers would agree that some level of controversy is to be expected as developers push the boat out on bigger, better and increasingly more expansive titles.

Regarding the Fallout franchise, you would expect that one or two kinks would rear their head throughout a series which has spanned over two decades. This legacy however, more than most, has experienced the highest of highs…and the lowest of lows.

Bethesda and Obsidian have got a uniquely storied past. Whilst it’s not uncommon for development studios to collaborate on large projects, these kinds of partnerships rarely go smoothly.

Initially, it seemed like a perfect opportunity for the studio that brought fans the Fallout series, to license the IP over to a studio who was a juggernaut of the RPG genre in their own right. Hindsight is 20-20, as they say.

The controversy doesn't stem from the quality of the game produced by Obsidian, quite the opposite in fact. The problems were regarding the contractual obligations thrashed out by the two studios.

Fallout New Vegas was a critical and commercial success, it’s just that Obsidian received very little compensation and no royalties for their work. The large financial bonus they would have received were based solely, on receiving a Metacritic Score of at least 85%. They received 84%, which is insulting in itself, but lay-offs at Obsidian soon followed.

Estimated to have sold around 12 million copies worldwide, for many Obsidian employees, New Vegas will be remembered as the game where a single point on Metacritic lost them their jobs.