One of the most iconic franchises in all of gaming, Fallout has grown into a household name for Bethesda. Video games, merchandise, and many easter eggs surround this post-apocalyptic franchise. Whether it was from Bethesda or Black Isle, the Fallout franchise has a certain charm to it that most RPGs wish they could replicate.

RELATED: Ranking Every Fallout Game From Worst To Best

It took a long time to get there, though. Each game has iterated from the original's focus on RPG mechanics and dark humor. Transitions between developers, settings, and entire genres have resulted in a rich history with this license. From a canceled version of Fallout 3 to obscure mechanics, here are 10 facts you didn't know about the Fallout franchise.

10 Was Originally Based On GURPS

When most think of Fallout, they think of the iconic Vault Boy and the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system. This was not always the case.

Originally, the first Fallout title was going to use Steve Jackson Games' GURPS system. The Generic Universal Role Play System is similar to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. with various attributes such as strength and health. After a legal dispute between Steve Jackson Games and Interplay, the rights to the system were revoked and Black Isle had to create their own system. This resulted in A.C.E.L.I.P.S. being created, which would later be rearranged to spell S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

9 Brahmin Tipping

Via: Fallout Wiki

Did you know that you can tip Brahmin over in every main Fallout title excluding Fallout 4? This was originally done by giving them beer in the first Fallout, but it has evolved into a proper action in the later entries.

Fallout 2 allowed players to tip them over using the "push" command. In Fallout 3 and New Vegas, sneaking up to a Brahmin and interacting with them will display a unique pushing animation that will knock them down. They lay on their side for a few seconds before getting back up. Sadly, this feature is missing in Fallout 4.

8 Fallout 4's Leaked Script

Via: Kotaku

Hardcore Fallout fans will remember Kotaku leaking a casting call script for Fallout 4. Many discredited it since the script references the player character talking, but this was proven false when Fallout 4 was officially announced and released two years later.

Looking back at the script, it is almost verbatim what occurs in the final game. In the script, the player character encounters Preston Garvey, a Minutemen remnant that is pinned down by a group of Raiders. Through a quick conversation, they both conclude to use a fusion core in the museum to power up their weapons and defeat the Raiders. In the final game, this is beat for beat what happens, with the only difference being the player powers up a suit of Power Armor instead of a suite of guns. Interestingly, this script also implies that the player could give fully-fledged solutions to problems—in this case, deducing a power core is available in the museum through what was likely an Intelligence check. This was changed to four flavors of saying "yes" in the final game, something many Fallout fans have criticized extensively.

7 Fallout's Inspiration

mad_max_road_warrior

Like most franchises, Fallout has many influences. Mad MaxA Boy and His Dog, and A Canticle for Leibowitz all had a major impact on the Fallout universe.

RELATED: Every Fallout: New Vegas Trait, Ranked

The most obvious impact of Mad Max is the game's depiction of Leather Armor, replicating the overall shape and rolled-up sleeve. Dogmeat, a canine companion that players can find, is likely influenced by both Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog. As for the iconic Brotherhood of Steel faction, their ideology is likely taken from A Canticle for Leibowitz.

6 Masthead's Fallout MMO

Via: Rock Paper Shotgun

Bethesda might have advertised Fallout 76 as a massive departure and experiment for the series, but the idea of a multiplayer Fallout title is nothing new.

Back in 2007, developer Masthead Studios were working on a Fallout MMO title named Fallout Online while Interplay provided creative support. When Bethesda purchased the license in 2007, things became messy quickly. Originally, Masthead was allowed to continue development on the title under certain conditions. In 2009, Bethesda claimed they were breaching their license agreement despite a lack of evidence suggesting this was true. After some legal trouble and an out of court settlement, Fallout Online was canceled in December of 2012.

5 Why The Thumbs Up?

Fallout Vault Boy Logo Picture

One of Fallout's iconic symbols is the Vault Boy, a figure for Vault-Tec's underground fallout shelters named Vaults. You can typically find him smiling and giving a thumbs up.

Many fans have speculated that he is holding his thumb up to see if he is in the blast radius of a nuclear explosion. While this is a cool myth, it has been debunked numerous times by the founders of Fallout. Brian Fargo, the founder of Interplay and one of the lead producers for the original titles, has gone on record stating it is an ironic expression and nothing more. It seems the Vault Boy is simply a glass-half-full type of person.

4 Fallout: New Vegas' Short Development

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment instead of Bethesda, Fallout: New Vegas is considered by many as the best modern Fallout title thus far, arguably the best Fallout game ever.

Interesting characters, compelling factions, and unrivaled player choice are frequently referenced when fans mention this game, but it could have been even better. Fallout: New Vegas had a short 18-month development cycle, dramatically shorter than Bethesda's 4-6 years. If you wondered why New Vegas was so buggy at launch, or why the Mojave wasteland has so few locations, the short development cycle is mostly to blame.

3 The Fallout 3 We Never Got

Via: CuteFloor (YouTube)

Black Isle Studios created the first two major Fallout titles. Bethesda purchased the license and created Fallout 3, but Black Isle had plans for a Fallout 3 of their own.

RELATED: 10 Awesome Fallout 3 Builds Everyone Should Try

Titled Fallout 3: Van Buren, the game would have taken players to America's southwest, including Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Utah. The game's plot would have revolved around the FEV virus from Fallout 1 and 2 with subplots pertaining to the NCR and Brotherhood of Steel. The game was to feature real-time and turn-based combat, cooperative multiplayer, and playable super mutants. Due to Interplay's bankruptcy during development, the project was canned and the rights to Fallout were sold to Bethesda. On the plus side, many of Van Buren's story elements made their way to Fallout: New Vegas, such as the NCR and Brotherhood conflict.

2 Fallout 2's Sex Formula

Fallout 2 allowed a degree of freedom few RPGs can hold a candle to. Few RPGs allow the player to become a world-renowned pornstar, mutant slayer, and mobster—let alone in the same playthrough.

While that alone is hard to believe, did you know that Fallout 2 has a sex rating formula to calculate how good your character is in bed? The formula is based mainly on your Charisma and Endurance, although Agility, Strength, and certain perks help contribute towards your sex rating. Get a high enough score and the game will give you the Gigolo title, although it appears the title does nothing beneficial.

1 Fallout Wasn't Originally Post-Apocalyptic

Via: Fallout Wiki

Franchises go through many creative revisions before they become concrete. Few know this better than Fallout. The idea for Interplay's new IP ranged from alien invasions to encountering a race of futuristic dinosaurs.

Tim Cain, one of the main creators of Fallout, has mentioned that Fallout's post-apocalyptic setting came from the result of other ideas. Originally, Black Isle was considering a fantasy game similar to Dungeons & Dragons. This then evolved to an ambitious pitch where the player would accidentally kill the human race through time travel and encounter a civilization of dinosaurs in the far future, having to travel through time itself to save his girlfriend. Scrapping that time travel idea, they considered a game around an alien invasion, and that final pitch blossomed into the Fallout franchise we know and love today.

NEXT: 10 Open World RPGs Better Than Skyrim