For the Fallout character, see Chris Avellone (Fallout). For the Fallout 2 character, see Chris Avellone (Fallout 2). |
Chris Avellone is a game designer who contributed to Fallout 2, Van Buren, and Fallout: New Vegas.
Background[]
Avellone joined Interplay Entertainment in 1995. He was invited by Timothy Cain to work on the original Fallout, but Avellone declined, something he would regret in the future.
He was a level designer on Fallout 2, as well as the co-lead designer of Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 project.[1] In 2003, Avellone left Interplay, joining Feargus Urquhart to found Obsidian Entertainment, where he became the new company's chief creative officer.[1]
At Obsidian, Avellone served as the senior designer on Fallout: New Vegas, and both project director and creative lead designer of its add-ons.[2]
In 2015, Avellone left Obsidian to pursue freelance work.[3][4][5] Avellone also criticized Obsidian's upper management, feeling they have a "lack of ethics" and "serious flaws that need to be addressed" because they attempted to restrain his ability to speak freely about the games he has worked on in the past. He also wished Feargus to have no financial gain.[6]
In 2024, Avellone reviewed the Fallout show and found it rather disappointing.
Notes[]
- Player characters may encounter a mercenary named Chris Avellone in Fallout.
- An NPC named Mayor Chris Avellone appears in Fallout Tactics, but Avellone did not provide voice acting for the role.[7]
- There is a location named Avellone in Fallout Tactics.
- Avellone wrote the Van Buren Tibbets Prison design document.
- The Vault City designer notes include credit to Avellone for the design of Vault City.[8]
- Lyrics of the song "Begin Again" featured in Dead Money were co-written by Avellone.[9]
- The Fallout Bible was compiled by Avellone, consisting of behind-the-scenes design documents and developer statements about Fallout 2.
- He wrote the script for the graphic novel All Roads, a promotional item released with the Collectors Edition of Fallout: New Vegas.[10]
- In 2022, he started Fallout Apocrypha, in which he would answer more fan questions. In it, he mentioned he does not hate Bethesda for supposedly "ruining" Fallout and that Bethesda has kept the series popular and alive. He also complimented Todd Howard, calling him a good guy who was always nice and respectful.[11]
- He mentioned he does not really care to fully play Fallout 4 or Fallout 76, feeling both entries, based on his impressions, apparently lack "serious" stories.[12]
Employment history[]
From | To | Company | Role |
---|---|---|---|
January 1995 | May 2003 | Interplay Entertainment Black Isle Studios | Lead Designer |
June 2003 | May 2015 | Obsidian Entertainment | Creative Director Chief Creative Officer Co-Owner |
Credits[]
Fallout series[]
Year | Title | Credited as/for |
---|---|---|
1998 | Fallout 2 | Level Designer |
2003 | Van Buren | Co-Lead Designer |
2010 | Fallout: New Vegas | Senior Designer |
2011 | Dead Money | Project Director |
2011 | Old World Blues | Project Director |
2011 | Lonesome Road | Project Director |
Other work[]
Year | Title | Credited as/for |
---|---|---|
1997 | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Additional Mission Design |
1999 | Planescape: Torment | Lead Designer |
2000 | Icewind Dale | Designer |
2002 | Icewind Dale II | Designer |
2004 | Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords | Lead Designer |
2006 | Neverwinter Nights 2 | Creative Director |
2010 | Alpha Protocol | Lead Designer |
2011 | Dungeon Siege III | Chief Creative Officer |
2014 | Wasteland 2 | Highpool/Ag Center |
2014 | South Park: The Stick of Truth | Chief Creative Officer |
2016 | Torment: Tides of Numenera | Writing |
2016 | Divinity: Original Sin II | Additional Narrative Design |
2018 | Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire | Additional Writing |
2019 | Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Story and Writing Consultant |
2022 | Dying Light 2 | Head Narrative Designer |
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chris Avellone on linkedin.com (Archived)
- ↑ Chris Avellone linkedin.com
- ↑ Chris Avellone Twitter, 9 Jun 2015 (Archive)
- ↑ Chris Avellone Twitter, 16 Aug 2016 (Archive)
- ↑ Kickstarter campaign description: "To help shape and direct the existing narrative of System Shock, we've enlisted the help of Chris Avellone, who is best known for his work on a number of role-playing games, including; Fallout: New Vegas, Wasteland 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Planescape: Torment, and Fallout 2. Chris will be working closely with Stephen Kick (our Creative Director) and Jason Fader (our Project Director and Senior Producer from Fallout: New Vegas) as well as several other key developers from Fallout: New Vegas to bring modern AAA quality into the world of System Shock."
System Shock (Archive) - ↑ TechRaptor article
- ↑ @AgentC1983: "Hey Chris, quick question, are you able to confirm if you voiced the character “Chris Avellone” in fallout tactics?"
@ChrisAvellone: "I did not, no. To my shame, I had forgotten "I" was in there (and if I'd known, probably would have asked them to take it out)."
Chris Avellone Twitter, 25 Apr 2015, (Archive) - ↑ Vault City designer notes
- ↑ Begin Again sheet music credits
- ↑ All Roads credit page
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ChrisAvellone/status/1496968682110545924
- ↑ https://chrisavellone.medium.com/fallout-apocrypha-tv-series-review-part-1-c4714083a637