Todd Howard Fallout franchise history and how Bethesda acquired the series from Interplay Productions after 2003

Learn how Todd Howard discovered the Fallout franchise before Bethesda acquired the rights and how his fan experience shaped the iconic RPG series.
Todd Howard Fallout franchise history and how Bethesda acquired the series from Interplay Productions after 2003

Todd Howard and the Early History of the Fallout Franchise

Todd Howard discovered Fallout before Bethesda acquired the intellectual property rights of the game franchise. The Fallout franchise became a Bethesda Game Studios production in its current form but Interplay Productions developed the first installment of the series. Todd Howard the CEO of Bethesda described his first meeting with the post apocalyptic universe when he personally experienced the world before his studio obtained brand rights.

Howard began his career at Bethesda before Fallout released its first game in 1997. His brother found the game and completed it before Howard started playing it. Howard took the game disc from his brother after receiving strong recommendations to play the game himself.

Howard reported he stole the disc and never returned it. He became fascinated with the game because of its distinct atmosphere and innovative gameplay features. He explained that Gamma World and Wasteland had previously covered post apocalyptic subjects but Fallout created an original world with its distinct spirit.

Howard dedicated considerable time to studying Fallout universe rules by playing through all game content. The game brought him back to its primary attractions because of its "magnificent and unique" spirit. The fan experience happened years before he became the series development leader.

  • Interplay Productions was the original development company.
  • The original game launched in 1997.
  • Bethesda acquired the rights starting with Fallout 3 in 2003.

The intellectual property rights transferred to a new owner in 2003. Howard who had been a fan of the original 1997 release was able to lead the franchise when Bethesda acquired it because of his established connection to the franchise. The series maintains the spirit Howard discovered through his brothers borrowed disc which began its journey to become one of the most successful RPG franchises within the industry.

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