Following mass layoffs at Obsidian earlier this month, the studio’s connection to its past has thinned significantly. A breakdown provided by former Fallout: New Vegas writer Chris Avellone confirms that of the 73 developers who worked on the original 2010 title, only 16 remain employed at the company.

Quick Facts

  • Total original Fallout: New Vegas developers: 73
  • Remaining Fallout: New Vegas developers at Obsidian: 16
  • Recent departures include Dan Alpert, Shon Stewart, and Paul Fish
  • Obsidian is currently working on a new Fallout RPG following the cancellation of a planned Avowed sequel

The recent layoffs at the Xbox subsidiary saw several veteran staff members leave the studio. Avellone, who shared the data in a July 14 post, noted that the departure of animator Shon Stewart was particularly unexpected. Other impacted staff included long-time art director Dan Alpert and assistant art director Paul Fish. The reduction of the veteran workforce comes as Obsidian pivots its resources toward a new Fallout project, a decision made after Xbox canceled the planned sequel to the 2025 action-RPG Avowed.

A Changing Studio Landscape

While the recent layoffs have drawn attention, many of the original Fallout: New Vegas team members had already moved on from Obsidian long before this month's cuts. The studio has seen a steady transition of talent over the last 16 years. For example, character artist Kevin Manning has been at Riot Games for the past seven years, while junior artist Megan Morse left the studio in 2012 and currently works at Archetype. Avellone himself, a co-founder of the studio, departed in 2015.

Despite the high turnover, the studio still retains some key figures from the series' history. Fallout co-creator Leonard Boyarsky has been at Obsidian for the last decade, and co-creator Tim Cain returned to the studio in 2025 to work on an unrevealed project. Avellone, who is currently working on other secret projects including new RPGs, acknowledged that his list may be subject to revision as he confirms the status of a few additional former colleagues.