Fallout co-creator lets slip who shot first in the great nuke war

Over the years, there’s been debate among fans about who fired the first nukes that kick-started the events of Fallout. Well, it looks as though this has been answered, as Tim Cain let the cat out of the vault, so to speak.

In a recent conversation with YouTube channel TKs-Mantis, Cain – who co-created the first two Fallout games – let it slip that China struck first. At around the 1:26:40 mark, he discusses the reason why America was nuked as part of the lore, related to how the US was creating an artificial virus known as FEV. It’s then China is mentioned in the conversation, basically confirming the country was the first to strike when the states refused to cooperate.

Host Mantis then, with raised eyebrows, tells Cain that what he just said was “earth-shattering.” At this point, Cain becomes a little coy, seemingly unaware that Fallout fans were not sure who “shot first,” adding, “Oh, well then I don’t know… Who knows? It was probably some rogue nation.”

Leonard Boyarsky – the other co-creator of the early Fallout entries – has gone on record saying that it doesn’t really matter who launched the first attack. However, this recent slip up from Cain basically confirms what some may already have suspected.

In any case, it’s a neat little bit of extra lore for those who are big into the post-apocalyptic franchise’s universe. Who launched the first nuclear bombs is something that’s been talked about for over two and a half decades. Now, it looks like we have closure.

On top of that, we’ve also recently learned that the Fallout TV show releases in April 2024. With the success of the Last of Us adaptation, others will no doubt be wanting to follow in those footsteps.