Fallout 3 was initially under development sa pamamagitan ng Black Isle Studios, a studio owned sa pamamagitan ng Interplay Entertainment, under the working pamagat van Buren. Interplay Entertainment closed down Black Isle Studios before the game could be completed, and the license to develop Fallout 3 was sold for a $1,175,000 minimum guaranteed advance against royalties to Bethesda Softworks, a studio primarily known as the developer of the The Elder Scrolls series.[3] Bethesda's Fallout 3 however, was developed from scratch, using neither van Buren code, nor any other materials created sa pamamagitan ng Black Isle Studios. In May 2007, a playable technology demo of the canceled project was released to the public.[4]