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Fallout co-creator Tim Cain explains why he's not making more new IPs, and it's partly because he's done "making other people really wealthy with my own creations"

News
By Scott McCrae published 5 January 2026

"People who just work on them in a team make more money than I got to even create the IP"

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Fallout overseer
(Image credit: Bethesda)
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Fallout co-creator Tim Cain says he's not planning on making any more new IPs, mainly because he's done making others wealthy with things he made.

Having been involved in the creation of Fallout, Arcanum, The Temple of Elemental Evil, and The Outer Worlds, it's safe to say that Tim Cain has one of the most impressive resumes in the games industry, at the very least when it comes to RPGs. This has led the creator to be asked for a long time why he hasn't created a new IP, given that he clearly has a knack for it, a question he acknowledges in a new YouTube video titled "Why not create a new IP today?" (via PC Gamer).

Why Not Create A New IP Today? - YouTube Why Not Create A New IP Today? - YouTube
Watch On

"I love making games, so it really confuses people when they're like, 'Why are you not making games, new IPs?'" Cain says, explaining, "Other people have made way more money off of IPs I've created than I've ever made. It's not by a little. It's by a lot … the IPs that I made years ago, people who just work on them in a team make more money than I got to even create the IP." And while Cain sounds somewhat annoyed by it, he says it's more down to him being "exasperated with the question."

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Cain does note that he simply doesn't have the resources to make a new CRPG, and if he worked with a publisher who could finance and produce the game, he'd end up in the same situation where someone makes way more money off of it. He adds that he's "moved on" from the idea of making new IP.

"If you really care about what I want, I'm still making toys and I love them and they make me happy. I'm over making people really wealthy with my own creations," explains Cain – who is currently working at Obsidian in a full-time role. While Cain's role isn't known, from the sounds of things, he may be back in a non-lead role like he was with the likes of Tyranny or South Park: The Stick of Truth.

However, Cain does note that his interest could be reignited, although not without some major changes to how the games industry works: "When a painting sells, everybody makes money."

"Fallout was always seen as a B project": 28 years since the post-apocalyptic RPG launched, its original creators reflect on a long legacy – starting with that very first bomb.

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Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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