This week, as distress, disgust and distrust mounted from Xbox’s decimation of their studios, the company pushed Bethesda on stage to quell anger. In some pretty naked damage control, Todd Howard assured fans that their favorite series would continue, in spite of layoffs. An Elder Scrolls here. A New Vegas remake there. But Li’l Devil pointed to my head, the next Fallout chapter I’m most looking forward to isn’t even coming out of Microsoft.
Formally unveiled nearly a year back, Fallout: Bakersfield is a fan-made full conversion Doom mod set in the more classical wasteland. Developed by Denis and Alexander “Saur X” Berezin, the footage promises a ferocious and gory send up to the original Interplay games, nailing their distinctive ‘90s compressed media look and making good use of Brad Garrett voice clips. At the time, the Berezins said the game was 60% released, and could make groundfall as soon as 2027.
There have been many ambitious Fallout fan projects over the years. Some with their own turbulent tales to tell. Few look quite as uncanny as Bakersfield, which consciously approaches Fallout as if the action-focused RPG hybrid mutated together in the era of Duke Nukem 3D instead of the age of Oblivion.
Even if it wasn’t for the foul taste irradiating from Xbox’s way, Bakersfield tickles my fancy far more than the thought of another expansive Bethesda entry. This isn’t quite a “hire fans” declaration, but games like Bakersfield and Sonic Mania highlight the distinctive qualities these series possess, better isolated by talented outsiders than some of the usual suits. That, ultimately, the beauty of these games can come from any source, and that sense of ownership and personal investment is what fandom truly offers. Well beyond hyping up more paint-by-numbers to keep investors from panicking.
That said, a disproportionate amount of “things that rock” come out of Doom WADs, so it’s best practice to bet on those.