When Fallout 4 released back in 2015, the game’s building mechanics proved to be an unexpected gem. Reviewers and fans of the game alike cited the building system as one of the best parts about Fallout 4, and rumors surrounding Fallout 76 suggest that similar mechanics could play a much larger part. However, a new documentary has revealed that the building mechanics were almost cut entirely before Fallout 4’s release.

Fallout 4’s Workshop Mode

The new documentary from Noclip looks at the history of both the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises. One of the revelations taken from it is that the Workshop mode, Fallout 4’s building system, almost never made it. Studio Director Ashley Cheng stated that “The Workshop mode in Fallout was on the cutting block for so long, we just weren’t sure ‘does anyone even care about this?‘”

The Workshop mode apparently emerged out of a “game jam” where Bethesda allowed developers to work on their own ideas. As a result, the mode wasn’t planned from the beginning. Bethesda clearly learned that fans approved of the mode, however, as they released three entire DLC expansions devoted to new building mechanics and materials; Wasteland Workshop, Contraptions Workshop, and Vault-Tec Workshop. Major new building elements also featured in Automatron.

The game’s Lead Producer, Jeff Gardiner, added that the “Workshop was the easiest thing for us to cut because… it was ancillary to the rest of the game. It was a side thing.” Gardiner also mentioned that because the mode was viewed as ancillary, it was never properly integrated into the game’s story. Certainly, apart from a view minor objectives, such as setting up recruitment beacons at new settlement sites for Preston Garvey, the Workshop mode is practically ignored by the story of Fallout 4. It was only in the three Workshop DLCs that any missions included building elements to any serious degree.

Gardiner stated that; had they invested more in the system from an earlier point, it might have been a part of the story. Those comments are especially interesting given the rumors surrounding Fallout 76; that may prove to be exactly what Bethesda have done with the upcoming title.