Cancelled Fallout 3 game ‘Van Buren’ gets reinterpreted as a fan-made mod

Bethesda’s Fallout 3 was the beginning of a new era for the post-apocalyptic, RPG series. When it released in 2008, it shot the cult, former-isometric franchise to overnight stardom, but it was likely a long way from what the third entry would wind up. For you see, Fallout 3 (codenamed Van Buren at one point) was once helmed by original developer Black Isle Studios, but was sadly cancelled several years before the Elder Scrolls creator took over.

Skip forward to today, and we now have a sort of revival of the game. Modders have brought this original concept to life, or at least their interpretation of what they felt it was going to be. As spotted by Insider Gaming, user PJ Hexer “and co” have unleashed Fallout Yesterday, a mod for Fallout 2 that purports to carry on what Black Isle never got to complete.

The mod is described as a “fan-made implementation of the original, canceled Fallout 3,” which has been built inside the second game’s engine. As a result, it retains the more isometric, turn-based approach that the series was originally known for back in the 1990s.

As it was (maybe) intended

Fallout Yesterday boasts a brand-new storyline (no doubt taking cues from the long-dead Van Buren project), multiple races, traits and perks, new items, weapons, locations, and plenty more to be getting on with. The modders describe it as the “biggest Fallout game ever.” Whether they’re referring to Black Isle’s intended vision or this particular mod remains to be seen.

If you have Fallout 2, this may be one to check out, especially if you pine for the days of the classic, role-playing shenanigans of a bygone PC era. To this end, older fans will appreciate what PJ Hexer and co have attempted to accomplish here.

The cancellation of Van Buren back in 2003 is definitely one of those “what if” situations. If this had made it to publication, it would have been the official third Fallout game. While it was allegedly going to be more 3D, it’s highly unlikely it would have been what we ended with after Bethesda took the reins. The closest we ever go to it, it seems, is this tech demo from 2007, which is described as being “extremely buggy.” I very briefly checked it out and, yeah, it’s definitely got the beginnings of one of the classics.

There are traces of the ill-fated Fallout all over the internet, mentioned in places like IGN’s 2017 Obsidian interview or the now-archived VideoGamer New Vegas preview. As you can see, it was to retain the isometric look the earlier games in the series were known for, something that Fallout Yesterday also honors. There was also another attempt to revive the OG with the Van Buren Project, which just hammers home how much fans really wanted this to be a thing.

Fallout Yesterday is probably the closest we’ll get to ever wondering whether Black Isle Studios’ offering would have been as much of a mainstream success as the one we got. Especially given that Fallout 3 is not related to the Van Buren storyline, according to what Wikipedia notes. Had the original released instead, we may never have gotten Fallout 4, Fallout 76, or even – GASP – Fallout: New Vegas; (irradiated) food for thought.