Bethesda learned while making Fallout 3 that realism doesn't always make games more fun
While developing Fallout 3, Bethesda Game Studios came to an important realization – striving for realism doesn't always make a game more engaging. Longtime studio designer and writer Emil Pagliarulo shared this insight in a retrospective interview with Game Informer.
Initially, the developers planned to create a fully connected metro system beneath Washington. However, during development, it became clear that the game's scope was too large for this approach.
We had this thought that the Metro would be connected completely underground on Fallout 3's Washington DC map. And we realized it was just too sprawling. It was too big.
The studio had to cut down sections, and this became an important lesson for the team going forward.
Realism can be fun depending on the type of game you're making, but traversing miles of underground subway stations turns out very realistic, not very fun.
By the time Fallout 3 released, Bethesda had already learned to quickly abandon ideas that didn't seem feasible or engaging, avoiding unnecessary feature bloat. This approach helped the studio focus on creating a genuinely interesting gaming experience instead of mindlessly copying reality.
Right now we're waiting for the release of remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, which have been heavily rumored, while the second season of the franchise recently concluded on Amazon Prime.
