Fallout: Nuevo Mexico made a big impression on senior editor Rich Stanton when he ran across it in 2023: "The mod of my irradiated dreams," he enthused at the time. Sadly, after at least three years of work it looks like the project has run aground, as a message on the official Nuevo Mexico Discord server says development is on hold and the project lead has decided to step back from the whole thing.
Set a mere five years after the events of the first Fallout, Nuevo Mexico promises a greater emphasis on player choice and traditional RPG elements than the more recent games in the series—sweet words for fans of the great Interplay originals. It's also fully voice acted, and even has its own original soundtrack. In terms of ambition and depth, it looks comparable to the more well known Fallout: London mod.
Or at least, it did. Earlier this year, the whole thing basically fell off the radar. The Fallout: Nuevo Mexico YouTube channel was scrubbed of content and most of the channels on the Discord server were erased. It apparently caught at least some of the developers by surprise: In response to an April inquiry, one redditor who claimed to be part of the voice acting team said they had "no clue" what was going on, adding, "Everything just sorta disappeared overnight."
After two months of silence, the team has now acknowledged that work on the Nuevo Mexico mod has come to a halt.
"The project has been on hold for some time, and [project lead] Zapshock has decided to step back from active participation in the community," JK Serling, credited as head of public relations, said in a message posted to the Fallout: Nuevo Mexico Discord (via VG247). "For now, Zapshock won't be available on Discord or any social media platforms."
Serling said they've taken over responsibilities for the mod, although whether that's strictly in a comms capacity or with the intent of carrying on development isn't clear. "Should Zapshock decide to return to modding, they will only stay in touch with close friends and developers ONLY," they wrote, adding that updates and replies to inquiries will be made if and when Zapshock comes back.
It's an unexpected development. Fallout: Nuevo Mexico was announced roughly two years prior to our 2023 report and while a release date hadn't been set, deep-dive videos and interviews with the development team suggested that things were coming along well. No reason for Zapshock's withdrawal, and the subsequent suspension of work, was given.
The Fallout: Nuevo Mexico YouTube channel has been scrubbed, but this 2022 trailer remains available via TrailerHub.
It's possible that work on Fallout: Nuevo Mexico will resume at some point, with or without Zapshock, but the complete wipe of all previously-released materials isn't encouraging. I've reached out to Serling for more information on the fate of the mod and will update if I receive a reply.
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