In context: Roughly five years ago, gaming artist Alexander “Red888guns” Berezin shared his vision of Fallout 1 as a first-person shooter (tweet below). Though it was just a simple animated GIF, it introduced an intriguing idea: What if he used the Doom engine to recreate Fallout?
Over the weekend, Berezin posted a video showcasing what he calls a “total conversion” of Fallout using the GZDoom engine – and it looks spectacular (below). He named it “Fallout: Bakersfield,” referencing the iconic Fallout 1 location of Necropolis, set in the former town of Bakersfield, California. If you’ve ever fantasized about playing Fallout or Fallout 2 in a 3D engine, this will be as close as you’ll get.
The four-minute trailer opens by paying homage to the original Fallout promo with a reimagined trailer, then shifts to gameplay footage. As expected, the game looks and plays like GZDoom but with a Fallout theme. The 2.5D visuals feel retro, yet they feature a considerable amount of modern polish. Particularly impressive is the HUD at the bottom of the screen. Its artistic design, which mimics a Pip-Boy 2000, adds the final touch that convinces you this is a Fallout game – not a Doom knockoff.
The project began in earnest in 2023. “Total conversion” may be a bit misleading, though. Development focuses on – and stays loyal to – Fallout’s Necropolis area and storyline, including a boss fight with the super mutant Harry. While this covers only a small part of the original game, Berezin and his brother Denis are currently the sole developers. With enough community support and a larger team, anything could happen once this section is complete.
Berezin currently estimates the project is about 60 percent complete, so there’s still a way to go, which raises the question: When can we expect to get our hands on it? The trailer hints at a release date at the end by slowly revealing its digits: “??.??.202?,” but just before the last question mark appears, a “7” flashes briefly. This hesitant hint might mean that Berezin aims for completion in 2027 but isn’t ready to commit to a firm launch window – even a vague one like a year.
Of course, that’s assuming the project doesn’t get shut down. Bethesda has long supported the modding community, so it seems unlikely it would object. If anyone might raise a fuss, it would be ZeniMax or Microsoft – but that also seems unlikely, given that other Fallout fan projects have survived.
Once again, Red888guns (Alexander Berezin) fantasizes about Fallout. This time, his flight of imagination went very far, and he envisioned what the first part of the famous series would look like from a first-person perspective. pic.twitter.com/pqSc8udejG
– Fallout.ru (@falloutru) April 1, 2020
Not long ago, Team FOLON created an impressive total-conversion mod called Fallout: London, built on Fallout 4’s Creation Engine. The project launched with Bethesda’s blessing and well wishes – until Bethesda released an unexpected patch to the Creation Engine that unintentionally delayed the release. The AAA studio also poached a few Team FOLON members, which further slowed early development – also likely unintentionally. Or was it?
In any case, it’s not likely that Fallout: Bakersfield will face any legal eagles, but don’t start holding your breath just yet. The project is a passion endeavor with only a couple of developers, who aren’t expecting to benefit financially, so it remains a hobby project alongside their day jobs.
That said, Berezin does have a Boosty account under his online persona “Red888guns.” For a small donation ($2.66 per month), subscribers can access progress reports and more information on the project. Generous benefactors committing to $266 per month receive more timely access to posts.