Fallout creator Tim Cain gives insight into the development of Wildstar
Fascinated by the story behind a canceled MMO that was once considered a WoW killer? So are we. That’s why we were delighted to hear from Fallout creator Tim Cain about his reasons for quitting Wildstar. Cain gives a rare and revealing window into the internal conflicts that plagued the game’s development, as well as his own experiences as a developer within a studio culture that ultimately led to one of the biggest game closures in recent years.
Wildstar was one of the only two games Cain ever quit working on, and his brief experience at Carbine, the studio behind Wildstar, sheds light on the messy and contentious environment that existed during the MMO’s development, characterized by internal conflicts and a lack of communication.
The video takes you on a 20-minute journey with Cain, as he exposes the strange office politics, stubborn colleagues, and a crucial meeting where Cain arrived armed with over four hours of notes to set the record straight. The journey begins with Cain reflecting on his time at Blizzard, where he helped create Fallout and its sequel, before he moved onto the MMO Titan, which eventually became Overwatch.
There, Cain was switched from a programming to a design role in 2008, leaving the project without a design director. On top of this, Cain explains that he was handed responsibility at Carbine despite having no experience in the field, leaving the project without a director or a lead designer. It was at this point that Cain stepped up to fill the void.
The video continues with Cain exposing the company culture that existed at Carbine, marked by clashes between Cain and the studio head, who also led the strike team that oversaw development of Wildstar. Cain also shares his experiences with a new art director who allegedly stonewalled Cain while spreading false impressions about his attitude.
Despite clashes with the studio head and the art director, Cain managed to create a setting and classes within the 90-day ultimatum he was given. However, the situation didn’t improve, and Cain found himself facing more challenges. This included a competing strike team led by the studio head and ongoing conflicts with the art director.
Cain meticulously documented his experiences at Carbine, and even presented his case to the art director in a four-hour meeting. Despite Cain’s efforts to set the record straight and fix the ongoing issues, no significant changes occurred. The breaking point for Cain came during a meeting with Fun QA, a quality assurance group, when he discovered that the studio head had lied about the nature of design complaints.
Frustrated by this revelation, Cain handed in his resignation and soon after, several other key team members also quit.
“I was happy to quit,” Cain says in the video. “I had been in the game industry for a long time at that point, and that was one of the best companies I had ever worked for. Carbine was just full of talented individuals in all kinds of fields, and they paid well. The problem was that there were a lot of really big things that were being communicated badly. A lot of really deep things that were really hard to overcome.”
The video sheds light on the messy and contentious environment that existed during Wildstar’s development, characterized by internal conflicts and a lack of communication. This tumultuous development process mirrors the fate of Wildstar as an MMO that failed to maintain its original vision and direction.
In many ways, Cain’s video serves as a glimpse into what could have been for Wildstar. The video highlights the potential that was overshadowed by the company culture and development challenges, encapsulated by the fate of its endgame.
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