Veteran Fallout Artist Breaks Free: Finds Creative Freedom in Solo Game Dev
Ever curious what becomes of a veteran artist from massive games such as Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Starfield when they break free from the big studio machine? Nate Purkipail did exactly that. He left Bethesda Softworks a few years back to fly solo. You'd imagine switching from a behemoth team to working essentially by himself would be daunting. For Purkipail, it seems like a breath of fresh air.
Taking a few minutes to talk with PC Gamer at Game Developers Conference 2025, Purkipail explained about developing his unique hunter simulator, The Axis Unseen. He conceded he's quite happy to do it on his own. Why? The greatest sense of relief is avoiding the corporate overhead.
No More Corporate Overhead: A Developer's Relief
"Honestly, [stress] has really decreased, although I'm not getting paid until the game goes out," he recalled. He stressed the joy of no longer having to be tied down with daily meetings, office politics, or constantly having to struggle to get ideas into the game. "It's really great," he continued, "to be able to simply work on the project full-time."
He even explained how impossible it was to really shut off previously. Vacations weren't actually vacations. He knew he had a pile of emails he'd be dealing with upon returning. It's hard to ever really relax if you know your work is just accumulating in the office.
Solo But Not Alone: Creative Control of The Axis Unseen
It is to be noted that "solo" does not mean doing completely *everything* alone. Although Purkipail is the key driver of the world-building, animations, and basics of The Axis Unseen, he cleverly brought in co-workers for specific elements like parts of the music and the script.
Purkipail left while Starfield was still under development. He didn't contribute much to that game. His own legacy at Bethesda remains firmly within the Fallout franchise. He worked nearly a decade on creating its 3D world. He's taking all of that knowledge and experience now and putting it into his own game, freed from the restrictions he once knew.
