Despite numerous remasters of cult games of recent years, the classic Fallout, which started the legendary post-apocalyptic series, is unlikely to receive an updated version. This was stated by one of its creators, game designer Tim Cain.
According to him, the task is complicated by three types of problems: legal, technical and subjective. Legal difficulties begin with searching for the source code – recently discovered in Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman’s case – and end with problems with licensing the music in the game.
Fallout’s source code is compiled in the “old, unsupported, and buggy” Watcom compiler. According to Kane, it is possible to extract sounds and cinematics from the code, but it will be problematic to pull them up to the level needed for the remaster. Displaying Fallout in a higher resolution will require scaling the interface elements (“Or leave everything as is?”), but in its current form, according to Kane, it will alienate modern gamers.
The original Fallout was released in October 1997. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating online that Fallout 3 (2008) will likely receive a remaster, but only in the distant future.