Tim Cain, one of the original creators behind the 1997 action-RPG Fallout, has rejoined Xbox subsidiary Obsidian Entertainment. As a full time employee, Cain is working on one of the studio’s currently unannounced projects, which will join Obsidian’s track-record of games such as Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds 2, and Avowed.
Cain announced his re-employment at Obsidian through a YouTube video published on his personal YouTube channel. In the video, he reveals that Obsidian offered him a full-time position. Cain confirmed that he has since moved back to California, as the position requires him to work in-person at one of Obsidian’s offices. Since taking on the role, Cain has stopped accepting any work remotely or as a contractor.
After rejoining Obsidian, Cain has started working on a currently unannounced project. In the video, he remarks that he can’t talk about specifics since the game is covered by a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). In anticipation of fan-speculation, he told viewers to not “bother guessing. You’re not going to guess right.” Based on these comments, it’s unlikely that the project is related to the Fallout series.
Cain’s re-employment follows his departure from Obsidian in 2020, after he concluded his work on Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds. After leaving his full-time position, he began his “semi-retirement,” which lasted for around five years. During this time, Cain worked as a contractor for various studios. Some of his contractual work includes remotely assisting with the development of Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2.
In his re-employment announcement video, he mentions that he worked on currently unreleased projects during his time as a contractor. As such, Cain confirms that any future, non-Obsidian titles that credit him were worked on contractually and before he accepted his current full-time position. He mentions that one such title will be released soon, although he doesn’t specify what game he’s referring to.
Despite coming out of “semi-retirement,” Cain pledges to continue uploading content on his YouTube channel. Such content revolves around game production, personal stories, and more.