Modders Cancel Project To Mod Fallout 3 Into Fallout 4 Because It Was ‘Illegal’

Modders trying to recreate Fallout 3 with the assets and engine of Fallout 4 recently announced that they are canceling the project. This comes after a discussion that they had with people over at Bethesda and legal experts, which resulted in the conclusion that the project might be illegal. It’s worth noting, however, that the studio did not explicitly tell the modders to shut it down.

One of the best things about PC games and games made by Bethesda, in particular, is how they give gamers the ability to mod them at the players’ behest. They could add new elements, take away certain parts, change the story, or even create entirely new worlds with the same assets. In the case of the mod called The Capital Wasteland Project, the goal was to bring Fallout 3 to the world of Fallout 4.

In a Tweet, however, the developers confirmed a statement circulating in social media that the project has been canceled. The statement reads that there was no way for the modders to continue without stepping on some really big toes, which would put them in hot water. As such, the mod has to be scrapped.

One of the developers who goes by the username NafNaf_95 explained to Kotaku that Bethesda did not explicitly tell them to end the project. Rather, some of the people at the studio merely hinted that they could be doing something illegal.

“Bethesda didn’t technically shut us down,” the message reads. “But a few members of staff heavily hinted at our methods being illegal.”

Before gamers start jumping down Bethesda’s throat over this, it’s worth pointing out that the modders were actually planning on using the original voices of the characters in Fallout 3. These include Liam Neeson’s performance, which was only licensed to the company. Bethesda does not own the rights to these voice performances, which means that the modders would have to deal with those who do.

Considering these obstacles, it would simply be too much trouble to go through with the development of the mod. The only recourse would have been to scrap the voices, which would have taken away from the experience.