Fallout creator Tim Cain has returned to Obsidian, but what is he working on? He’s not allowed to say, and says you shouldn’t even try to guess. Cain also shared an update about his personal life and a new friendship with a squirrel.
In a YouTube video, Cain said he recently relocated from Seattle to southern California, and one of the first things that happened was a squirrel ran up to him with no fear. “She just sat there and looked at me, and I shrugged and I’m like, ‘What do you want from me? I don’t know you.'” Cain fed the critter some walnuts and continues to feed the creature every day when he leaves and comes back home.
This is how Cain started the video, before getting into his return to Obsidian. He said he’s now back at the studio, in-person and full-time. While he has returned to Obsidian, you’ll also see his name appear in the credits of an upcoming unspecified game that he did contract work for before coming back to Obsidian, he said.
Cain also mentioned that he did contract work for multiple other games, but they are unlikely to be released. He said the years 2020-2025 were a “weird time in the industry” when lots of games began production and then got canceled, for a variety of reasons. “I really don’t know the status of all the games I contracted on,” he said.
As for his current project at Obsidian, Cain said he cannot talk about because “that’s covered under NDA.” He added, “Don’t bother guessing–you’re not going to guess right.”
Cain was one of the core designers of the 1997 original Fallout at Interplay Productions. He also worked on the sequel, along with games like South Park: The Stick of Truth and Pillars of Eternity. He was the game director on The Outer Worlds and a creative consultant for The Outer Worlds 2.
Obsidian has had a busy 2025, releasing Avowed in February 2025, Grounded 2 in July, and The Outer Worlds 2 in October. The studio has no confirmed and announced upcoming games, but we do know that Cain is working on whatever Obsidian may be cooking up next.
Cain said he’s coming out of “semi-retirement” to return to Obsidian. Before this, he was doing the previously mentioned contract work, and making videos for his “Cain on Games” YouTube channel. This channel will continue going forward, he said, adding that no one at Obsidian told him to stop.