Original Fallout creator was ordered to destroy source code, then Interplay lost its official archive

Oops: Video game publishers often receive criticism for poor stewardship of the industry's history. Many don't care about game preservation; some make critical errors when they profess to care. Recent comments from the producer of the original Fallout should serve as a reminder that archives should always have redundancies. Tim Cain, one of Fallout's original creators, revealed that the production assets for the first game are probably lost. In a recent video on game preservation, he blamed publishers' hubris and carelessness as key barriers to safeguarding development history. His remarks underscore the importance of redundant backups and better stewardship of gaming's creative legacy. After Cain left Interplay during Fallout 2's development, the company ordered him to destroy his personal archives. He complied, believing Interplay would maintain the official materials. However, the company failed to preserve them, leaving a significant gap in the historical record of the franchise' ... Read full article.