The late nineties was a golden age for PC gaming, and many creators earned their place in history around this time. One such person would be Brian Fargo, who served as executive producer of Interplay’s 1997 game, Fallout. It stood out from other RPGs at the time by being set in a post-apocalyptic California as opposed to a generic fantasy land, and having a tactical element to its combat system. The game was a tremendous success, so, naturally, a sequel had to be made. The development of this game was handled by Black Isle Studios, a division of programmers that had formed the previous year within Interplay.

Fallout 2 was released a year later in 1998. Though the game was initially plagued with bugs and unfinished ideas, it was warmly received nonetheless – even more so than the original in some circles. During the development of Fallout 2, Black Isle Studios began an entirely new project, utilizing the engine that BioWare had used to create Baldur’s Gate. The lead designer of this project was one of the main developers of Fallout 2: Chris Avellone. This game, originally released in 1999, is the fruit of their labor.

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