A grey squirrel helps start the story. Tim Cain opens his latest YouTube update by feeding a walnut to a fearless backyard visitor after moving to southern California — then drops the real headline: he’s returned to Obsidian full time.
“I’m back at Obsidian,” Cain says on camera. “I’m their full-time employee and in-person, so not remote. I’m not a contractor anymore.” He’s been teasing semi-retirement for a few years, doing contract work across the industry and hosting the Cain on Games channel to tell behind-the-scenes tales. Now he’s back behind a permanent desk at one of modern CRPGs’ most visible studios.
A short, sharp resume
Cain’s name is baked into gaming history: lead designer on the 1997 Fallout, significant work on Fallout 2, Arcanum, Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines, and a guiding hand at Obsidian on Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds. He co-directed the first Outer Worlds and consulted on its sequel. That pedigree is why his return matters to devs and fans alike.
He’s upfront about what he can’t say. “I also can’t talk about the project I’m working on at Obsidian just because that’s covered under NDA,” Cain told viewers, adding a cheeky challenge: “Don’t bother guessing. You’re not gonna guess right.” That shuts down rampant speculation — from cries for a New Vegas sequel to hopes for a surprise Fallout revival — at least for now.
Cain did confirm one practical detail that changes how he’ll work: he’s back in-office, not remote. That shift from freelance contractor to salaried staffer suggests a longer-term role on whatever Obsidian’s next big thing is.
Why this is notable
There’s a real gravity to a creator of Cain’s era choosing to rejoin a studio instead of staying freelance. Obsidian spent much of 2025 shipping major new work — from Avowed to The Outer Worlds 2 — and remains focused on building original worlds rather than only returning to established franchises. Fans have loudly wanted more New Vegas, but Obsidian has signaled a preference for fresh IP and new narratives, a tension explored in recent coverage of the studio’s priorities around New Vegas and original projects.
Cain’s presence strengthens Obsidian’s bench of experienced RPG talent at a time when studio output sits squarely under Microsoft’s umbrella and in an ecosystem where first-day releases on services matter more than ever. The ongoing push from publishers to land big titles on subscription platforms is part of the context for studios deciding what to build and how to scale — a dynamic visible across recent Xbox Game Pass news and lineups [/news/xbox-game-pass-november-2025-wave-1].
What we do know — and what we don’t
Cain hinted that at least one of the contracted projects he worked on outside Obsidian will ship with his name in the credits; others may have been canceled in the churn of 2020–2025. He described the era as “weird,” with lots of projects starting and not all finishing.
He also reassured viewers his YouTube channel isn’t going anywhere. Coworkers reportedly watch his videos and have encouraged him to keep telling stories, so expect more developer anecdotes and design deep dives alongside whatever Obsidian’s mystery project turns out to be.
For now, fans will have to accept a small mystery: Tim Cain’s back, he’s working in-office on something under NDA, and he’s still feeding that squirrel. That combination — the practical, the creative and the oddly charming — is exactly the kind of detail that keeps the community talking while the studio quietly builds whatever comes next.