What we know so far: Tim Cain has worked on numerous beloved role-playing games over the past three decades, but is best known for the first two Fallout games. While announcing his return from semi-retirement, Cain confirmed his involvement with several new games, at least one of which will launch relatively soon.
Tim Cain said in a recent YouTube update that he is returning to Obsidian Entertainment (above). Although he has spent the last several years contracting for the studio, he will now work there full-time – rejoining a company closely tied to his most famous creation, Fallout.
The legendary designer has already started work on a new, undisclosed project at Obsidian. Although many Fallout fans may hope his return signals a new entry involving one of the franchise's original creators, Cain said no one outside the studio will be able to guess what the project is, making a Fallout connection unlikely.
Earlier this year, Obsidian launched Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, so its next release is likely years away. However, Cain noted that his own work could appear much sooner. He has contributed to several unannounced projects over the last few years, including one expected to launch around 2026. He added that the fate of the others remains uncertain.
After joining Interplay in 1991, Tim Cain worked on titles such as The Bard's Tale Construction Set and Stonekeep before becoming a lead producer and designer for the original Fallout.
He created the role-playing system for the post-apocalyptic franchise and wrote the iconic line "War, war never changes." After leaving Interplay during Fallout 2's production, he co-founded Troika Games, where he helped create Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura, The Temple of Elemental Evil, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
Following Troika's closure, Cain became a contractor for Obsidian, founded by several developers from Fallout and Fallout 2, some of whom still work at the studio. His credits there include well-regarded RPGs such as South Park: The Stick of Truth, Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, and The Outer Worlds. Most recently, Cain served as a creative consultant on The Outer Worlds 2.
In that time, Cain has also maintained a prolific YouTube channel containing hundreds of videos of the designer opining on RPG development and delving into the history of his many projects. His library is full of hidden, trivial gems, like how Bethesda came to develop Fallout 3 and what happened to the first entry's source code.