Ambitious Fallout mod project aiming to recreate Fallout 1 inside Fallout 4 calls it quits, suspending the project but making it clear that it's not Bethesda's fault

Fallout
(Image credit: Fallout Vault 13, Bethesda)

Fallout: Vault 13, a modding project aiming to recreate Fallout 1 within Fallout 4, is ending active development.

In a statement, project founder and co-lead, modder Culinwino, explained that "after much careful thought and deliberation, we have decided to officially suspend development on Fallout: Vault 13." 

Culinwino goes on to explain that "while active development is ending, we want to ensure that all the work we've done sees the light of day." As a result, a full build of Fallout: Vault 13, which will include all of the project's unfinished content, will be released "in the coming weeks," and uploaded to Nexus Mods to "ensure that the community has access to all the work we've done so far."

The modding group is also planning to release a retrospective look at the project at some point in the future, "celebrating the highs, the lessons learned, and the passion that drove this project."

In a follow-up tweet, Culinwino explained that development on the project was suspended "due to a combination of factors." Those included "burnout [...] and personal life changes among core team members," but the group was quick to clarify that "there was no infighting or cease and desist from Bethesda." "Ultimately," they explain, "this was an ambitious project being made with limited resources by volunteers. The decision was made to prioritize the well-being of project members."

Plenty of massive Bethesda-shaped modding projects have surfaced over the past few years, but the size, scope, and realities of volunteer-driven development mean that many are yet to see the light of day. Recently, however, one game did buck that trend - Fallout London, a British-themed Fallout fangame built within Fallout 4, released last year to community acclaim. Elsewhere, Fallout Miami is still trucking - eight years after its initial announcement.

For a full rundown of what you can play, here's our list of the best Fallout games.

CATEGORIES
Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.

Read more
Fallout: New Vegas mod Fallout: Nuevo Mexico
After 4 years, Fallout: New Vegas' massive New Mexico mod is canceled: "Continuing forward simply isn't sustainable"
Fallout 4 mod Fallout London screenshot showing a ruinous post-apocalyptic Camden
As if Fallout: London wasn't already big enough, its devs now say the mod's "first DLC is getting closer" with "more surprises" to come
Skywind
After 12 years, the modders merging Morrowind and Skyrim say their project would "come out faster" if "we were all working with Bethesda," but it would be "much worse"
Modder leading 13-year effort to remake Oblivion in Skyrim isn't worried about an official remake: "The fact Skyblivion is nearly in a releasable state is a miracle"
Counter Strike 2 screenshot on PC showing gunfight
"This is devastating": After 8 years of work, CS:GO mod that aimed to revive "the 1.6 vibe" apparently rejected by Steam "without any reason," despite previous contact with Valve
Wyrdsong
Skyrim and Fallout veterans' new open-world RPG is now a roguelike that's not open-world, after funding issues brought the team "down to a skeleton crew"
Latest in Fallout
Fallout 76 screenshot showing an irradiated mutant man-like creature screeching, its sharp canine teeth showing
After 14 years at Bethesda, Skyrim and Fallout veteran made his final settlement in just 2 days – but only because he'd made some rough ones before that
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
Fallout overseer
Original Fallout creator says he "pushed" for a happy ending with "cake and balloons" instead of the RPG's downbeat finale
Fallout
Disco Elysium lead says original Fallout is an RPG "that's almost Biblical in its annihilation," making "other post-apocalyptic worldbuilding seem like an amusement park"
Fallout 4 mod Fallout London screenshot showing a ruinous post-apocalyptic Camden
As if Fallout: London wasn't already big enough, its devs now say the mod's "first DLC is getting closer" with "more surprises" to come
mister burke sat in a beige suit, black tie, white shirt, and black hat and shades
Bethesda fans raise $140k for prolific VA's medical bills as Bethesda describes him as "an incredibly talented and instrument part of our games"
Latest in News
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first title update is a hotfix with three lines of patch notes and a download size up to 9GB
a victory screen showing someone in a day of the dead mask and another who is an old man looking sad
GeoGuessr is coming to Steam and you can go head-to-head to prove you're the best geographer of them all
Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 "is done," but it's been delayed again to October for "bug fixing, stability, and performance"
Ben Affleck in Air
Ben Affleck isn't in The Odyssey, but he plans to visit the set anyway to watch Christopher Nolan work: "He's one of the greatest filmmaking architects to ever live"
GTA 6 trailer screenshots showing lucia in an interview room
"GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor, and we will just stay clear of the blast zone": Publishers are in a frenzy over when to release their games to avoid Rockstar