The Potential of Fallout: London Mod and the Future of Team Folon
Exploring the aspirations of Team Folon and the potential for Fallout: London to lead to new game development.
The Inspiration Behind New Game Development
Some of the team leads behind the massive upcoming Fallout: London mod for Fallout 4 revealed they are interested in developing a new game after Fallout: London releases in April. The project leader cited 2022's The Forgotten City as a significant inspiration for this decision.
Fallout: London Eastminster
Set to be released on April 23, Team Folon's Fallout: London is an upcoming total conversion mod that will transport players to post-apocalyptic London. The mod takes place in 2237 between Fallout 1 and Fallout 2, and about 63 years before the Sole Survivor leaves Vault 111 in Fallout 4. Players awaken in an underground lab and must escape to the surface after a rival faction raids the facility. In development since 2019, it reportedly boasts an open world the same size as Fallout 4's, with five smaller hubs having a combined area equivalent to the Far Harbor DLC.
Fallout: London broken wall
Dual Shockers recently spoke to Team Folon's lead developer Dean Carter and lead 2D artist Emily Kemp. While the interview was primarily about Fallout: London's development, Carter also took the opportunity to talk briefly about the studio's plans after Fallout: London. While Carter stressed that he couldn't speak for the entire team, he hopes that Team Folon will continue as an independent game studio, following in the footsteps of Forgotten City developer Modern Storyteller. Kemp also chimed in, describing Modern Storyteller's success as 'aspirational.'
Fallout: London underground station
The Path to Independence
2021's The Forgotten City began life as a 2015 Skyrim mod of the same name, which won an award from the Australian Writer's Guild. This inspired the mod's lead developer and writer, Nick Pearce, to establish Modern Storyteller and remake the mod as a standalone game. While Modern Storyteller benefited from a degree of government investment that the UK-based Team Folon is unlikely to receive, Carter is confident that it has something with great potential.
Fallout: London telephone box
It's unclear if Carter and the other members of Team Folon intend to remake the upcoming Fallout: London as a standalone game or if it has any specific plans at all. However, he believes that the team has come too far to simply go its separate ways after Fallout: London comes out. 'We've worked too hard and too long to not do something,' said Carter.
Fallout: London street
Of course, The Forgotten City's developer had a hit mod before considering launching a professional studio. The same applies to Terra Invicta developer Pavonis Interactive, who previously created the popular Long War mods for Firaxis' XCOM: Enemy Within and XCOM 2. Therefore, one might wonder if Team Folon is putting the cart before the horse. Then again, Pavonis and Modern Storyteller's success shows this career trajectory is viable.
The Future of Team Folon
It's unclear if Carter and the other members of Team Folon intend to remake the upcoming Fallout: London as a standalone game or if it has any specific plans at all. However, he believes that the team has come too far to simply go its separate ways after Fallout: London comes out. 'We've worked too hard and too long to not do something,' said Carter.
Of course, The Forgotten City's developer had a hit mod before considering launching a professional studio. The same applies to Terra Invicta developer Pavonis Interactive, who previously created the popular Long War mods for Firaxis' XCOM: Enemy Within and XCOM 2. Therefore, one might wonder if Team Folon is putting the cart before the horse. Then again, Pavonis and Modern Storyteller's success shows this career trajectory is viable.
