A few years ago, a group of passionate fans set out to recreate the canceled Fallout 3, codenamed Van Buren, using the second game’s engine. Recently, an ambitious mod received a major update.
Image source: PJ Hexer and Co
Fallout Yesterday from the team at PJ Hexer and Co is an isometric RPG powered by the same engine that Black Isle used for Fallout 2. The mod was recently updated to version 0.6 and released on Nexus Mods.
The update includes over 30 quests, 100 weapons and items, over a hundred perks and traits, special encounters, free caravans, story content, squad management improvements, bug fixes and much more.
The Fallout Yesterday source code can be found in the GitLab repository
Fallout Yesterday (Van Buren) takes place in the southwestern United States. Players take on the role of the Prisoner, an inmate at Tibbetts Prison, to thwart the plans of a scientist who has decided to use an abandoned superweapon.
Despite version 0.6, Fallout Yesterday already allows you to complete the game’s story, but (at this stage of development) only as a character specializing in science and/or repair.
Let us remember that Van Buren was developed in the early 2000s and was canceled due to serious financial problems of the publishing house Interplay for the sake of Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, released in 2004. This did not save Black Isle from closure.
After the cancellation of Van Buren and the release of Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Interplay management gave Bethesda Softworks permission to release Fallout games, and in 2007 they finally sold it the rights to the franchise, but that’s a completely different story.