According to Polygon, Tim Cain, the creator of the Fallout franchise and a key designer on the first two games, has returned to Obsidian Entertainment as a full-time, in-person employee. He announced the move on his YouTube channel, “Cain on Games,” confirming he left the studio in 2020 but is now back and not working as a contractor. Cain stated he is already hard at work on a new project for Obsidian but cannot discuss it due to an NDA. During his first stint at Obsidian, which began before 2014, he co-directed *The Outer Worlds* and worked on titles like *South Park: The Stick of Truth*, *Pillars of Eternity*, and *Tyranny*. Obsidian, like Bethesda, is now a subsidiary of Xbox Game Studios.
Speculation station
So, what’s he building in there? Cain himself told fans not to bother guessing, but come on. We’re going to guess. The immediate, tantalizing thought is, of course, Fallout. Obsidian made *Fallout: New Vegas*, which many fans consider the series’ peak. With the smash-hit Amazon series heading to New Vegas for its second season, the timing for Microsoft to greenlight a proper *New Vegas 2* or a spiritual successor feels almost too perfect. But here’s the thing: Bethesda proper is still the primary steward of that IP. Would they hand the keys back to Obsidian and the original creator? It’s not impossible, but it’s a corporate maneuver.
The more likely scenario
The safer bet is a new project in an existing Obsidian universe. The obvious candidate is *The Outer Worlds 3*. Cain co-directed the first game and consulted on the second, so returning to shepherd a third installment makes all the sense in the world. Obsidian is also known for its deep RPG worlds, and Cain’s expertise in systems design could be applied to something entirely new. Maybe it’s a fresh IP that goes back to those hardcore, isometric RPG roots he helped pioneer. The point is, Obsidian now has one of the foundational minds of modern computer RPGs back in the building, full-time. That’s a huge deal for the studio’s creative direction, no matter what specific game he’s coding.
Why this matters
For gamers, this is a signal that Obsidian is investing heavily in its core design philosophy. Cain isn’t just a famous name; he’s a systems architect who understands the gritty details of what makes an RPG world feel alive and consequential. His return suggests Microsoft is giving Obsidian the runway to build ambitious, mechanics-driven games. In an era where so many big RPGs can feel homogenized, having a voice like Cain’s directly in the trenches is a promise of depth. It probably also means a longer dev cycle for whatever this is—these kinds of games aren’t whipped up overnight. So, we might not see it for years. But when we do, it’ll likely have a weight to it that only comes from that specific lineage of design thinking.
