Abstract
Problem: What did the day-to-day reality of Fallout's development look like, and who were the people behind it?
Approach: Tim Cain shares every photo he owns showing Fallout team members from 1994–1997, drawn from scanned film photos, coworker snapshots, and family archives — since digital cameras weren't available to him until 2003.
Findings: The photos trace the Fallout team's growth from just three people (Tim, Jason Taylor, Jason Anderson) in late 1994 to a full team by 1997, revealing the casual Southern California work culture, the cramped offices, the clay sculpts used for in-game dialogue heads, and the personal rituals (like Tim's fresh-baked cinnamon bread) that defined the development period.
Key insight: Game development in the mid-90s was remarkably informal and small-scale — the entire Fallout team fit in a single photo, worked with enormous CRT monitors and sneakernet file transfers, and shipped one of the most influential RPGs ever made.
The Photo Archive Challenge
Tim notes that all photos from 1994–1997 are scanned film — he didn't own a digital camera until a Sony in 2003, and his first camera phone (a Nokia flip) came in 2005. He scoured his entire archive of several thousand scanned photos, including Interplay work folders and even family Christmas subfolders, to compile every image showing a Fallout team member from this era.
Christmas 1994: Fallout Just Beginning
The earliest photo shows Tim at home in Virginia for Christmas 1994. Fallout had just started with only two other team members: Jason Taylor and Jason Anderson. Tim flew from Southern California wearing shorts and a t-shirt (a GDC 1994 shirt), forgot to plan for East Coast winter, and his mom forgot to bring his coat to the airport. The car was packed with five family members in a five-seater, so he squeezed in coatless. He wore the same shorts the next morning for the Christmas photo.
Team Photos: Watching the Team Grow
Summer 1995 (~9 people)
A team photo dated "1996" on the back is actually from around August 1995, identifiable because Scott Campbell (seated in front with sunglasses) left in September 1995. The full team at this point: Scott Campbell, Brian Fouth, Leonard Barski, Jesse Reynolds, Tim Cain, Jason Taylor, Jason Anderson, Michael Dean, and Fred Hatch.
Late 1995 / Early 1996 (~12 people)
A slightly larger group photo taken outside Interplay's Fitch Avenue building. The team had grown to include Scott Everts, Gary Platner, Chris Taylor, Chris Jones, and Nick Kesting. Everyone is in t-shirts — standard Southern California uniform regardless of season.
Late 1997 (Full Team)
By 1997, the team expanded significantly thanks to producer Feargus Urquhart pushing for more hires. New additions included scriptors Robert Heinstein and Dave Hendee, artist Eddie Rainwater, Scott Rodenhiser (who made the clay heads), Tim Hume (Mac programming), Kevin Weatherman (programmer), Jason Suinn (who suggested the SPECIAL acronym instead of "ASPS"), and Sharon Shelman (Jason Anderson's wife, who helped with 3D modeling) — her first appearance in any team photo.
Office Life at Interplay
Chris Taylor's Office
Multiple photos show Chris Taylor's workspace. Tim describes dropping by to check on things. Scott Everts, visible in the background, was famous for having the neatest desk at Interplay — everything in its exact place, and he'd move anything back if you touched it.
The Big Monitors and Sneakernet
The office photos reveal the enormous CRT monitors of the era. Tim recalls thinking even then that the monitors were too big. The team had a very limited local area network, so they often relied on sneakernet (physically carrying files between computers) to share work.
Tim's Exploding Head
One photo shows Tim alongside Tramell Isaac (who created many Vault Boy cartoons and the overseer death animation). This specific photo of Tim was used by Chris Jones to create the exploding head sequence in the Fallout credits.
The Clay Heads
A photo shows two clay sculpted heads — believed to be Morpheus and a Super Mutant — displayed behind glass in Interplay's new lobby on Von Karman street. These were physically scanned and animated for the game's dialogue sequences. Scott Rodenhiser sculpted them; Scott and others animated them.
The Three Dog Video Visit
A film crew from Three Dog visited the studio with little advance notice. Tim can be seen in the footage waving with the team and joking "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I'm a jelly donut) in German. The team visible in the video wasn't much bigger than earlier photos — showing Robert Collier and Tramell Isaac among others.
Cinnamon Bread and the Final Months
During the last few months before shipping, Tim arrived at the office around 7 AM every morning with fresh-baked cinnamon bread. It was first-come-first-served. Nick Kesting always tried to get in early and begged Tim to save him a slice — Tim refused. The photo of Nick eating cinnamon bread in Tim's office also shows the large Fallout foam core display and oversized Fallout box, placing it after E3 (March 1997).
The Burger King Crown
In a well-known photo, Tim wears a Burger King bag on his head with "King" written on it. Jesse Reynolds had brought him food from Burger King; Tim put the bag on and was later informed by Jesse that he had broken the build. "Your highness."
After Shipping: Thanksgiving 1997
The final photo is from Thanksgiving 1997, about one to two months after Fallout shipped. Tim flew home exhausted. A family photo shows him with his brother, sisters Cheryl and Dena, brother Jeff, and their mom — a quiet moment after years of intense development.
References
- Tim Cain. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgajXqRVwdw