Fallout: Vault 13, named after Vault players' first experience in the Fallout series, has been in the works since 2021, but began making headlines following the release of a demo in August of this year. It would feature five open-world areas, a “completely revamped leveling system,” voice acting, and some “tasteful, story-friendly additions” to complement Fallout 1's full list of original quests and characters.
In a follow-up post, Culinwino cited “exhaustion” and “personal life changes among core team members” as some of the reasons behind the project's cancellation. “This is an ambitious project carried out with limited resources by volunteers,” they noted, adding that the decision to end the development was made to “prioritize the well-being of project members.” Culinwino emphasized that “there was no infighting or cease and desist on Bethesda's part.”
However, while Fallout: Vault 13 will no longer be developed by its current team, the entire project as it currently exists will be released as a Nexus Mods version “in the coming weeks.” Culinwino says this will “allow the community to experience” the work completed so far and “serve as a foundation for anyone interested in continuing or developing it in the future.” Additionally, the previously released demo will still be available for download.
“While this may mark the end of active development, it is not the end of our journey together,” the statement concludes. “In the future, we are planning to launch a retrospective that will look at everything we have accomplished with Fallout: Vault 13, celebrating the achievements, lessons learned, and passion that drove this project… Thank you. “Again for being a part of this incredible experience. “Your support means a lot to us, and I look forward to seeing where the Fallout: Vault 13 community takes it from here.”
Although Vault 13 has, at least for the moment, reached the end of its journey, 2024 is still a banner year for Fallout fans. Fallout 4's long-in-the-works next-gen update is finally arriving in April (albeit to mixed reception), while Amazon's acclaimed Fallout TV series has helped bring the series to a whole new audience. And in the world of modding, the wildly ambitious Fallout: London, a new fan-developed game based on Fallout 4, has been a huge success.