Van Buren
Black Isle Studios
Publisher: Interplay Entertainment
★
N/A
0 user ratings
★
N/A
0 critic ratings
Summary
Van Buren was the internal name for what was intended to be Fallout 3, a role-playing video game in development by Black Isle Studios before its parent company, Interplay Entertainment, declared bankruptcy. This led to the closure of Black Isle, resulting in the PC development team being laid off on December 8, 2003, which ultimately canceled the game. Before its cancellation, Van Buren was meant to continue the Fallout series but was not a direct follow-up to Fallout 2. A separate, official Fallout 3—unrelated to the abandoned Van Buren project—was later developed by Bethesda Game Studios after Interplay sold the single-player rights of the franchise to Bethesda Softworks. It was released on October 28, 2008.
Storyline
Although the full narrative of Van Buren was never fully disclosed, some key details were revealed before its cancellation. The player would begin the game as a prisoner, with their guilt or innocence determined during character creation. The game would open in a prison under attack by an unidentified force. An explosion would knock the character out, and when they awoke, their cell door would be ajar. The player would then flee into the wasteland, pursued by enemies. Once outside, the character would have the ability to influence the wasteland’s future. Their interactions with groups like the Brotherhood of Steel and the rising New Californian Republic—both locked in a long-standing conflict—could either strengthen or weaken these factions, affecting their allies and ultimately shaping the region’s destiny, much like in the earlier Fallout titles. A major component of Van Buren’s story and setting was the war between the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic. Players would have been able to visit key settlements and strongholds controlled by either side, with their choices affecting the war's progression. For example, in the area around the Hoover Dam, the player could decide whether to assist the settlement and its inhabitants with various tasks, which would eventually influence the war’s outcome. The game’s overarching plot was intended to revolve around a scheme by a rogue NCR scientist, Dr. Victor Presper, who sought to take control of a U.S. orbital nuclear platform known as B.O.M.B.-001 and use it to trigger a second nuclear apocalypse, wiping out all but a select few. In the end, the player would be unable to prevent all missiles from launching, and their decisions on where they would land would ultimately determine the world’s future. Van Buren was set primarily in Utah and Colorado, with a small portion of Nevada also included. Players would have been able to explore locations such as Hoover Dam, Denver, Mesa Verde, and the Grand Canyon. Fallout 3 does not follow Van Buren’s storyline, but during an interview, Avellone noted that elements from the canceled project would appear in Fallout: New Vegas. Specifically, the NCR-Brotherhood of Steel war is referenced, a character from Van Buren (Joshua Graham) appears in a modified form, and the antagonistic Caesar’s Legion also makes an appearance. He also mentioned that the Van Buren codename was inspired by President Martin Van Buren. Of the locations planned for Van Buren, only Hoover Dam was included in Fallout: New Vegas, due to the shift in setting.
