In a discussion about the design of Obsidian Entertainment's 2010 role-playing game Fallout: New Vegas, director Josh Sawyer has explained that the game's harsher level scaling was a deliberate choice intended to signal to players that it was a different experience from Bethesda's Fallout 3. According to Sawyer, the tougher difficulty was meant to teach players early on that they could not simply wander anywhere and expect to survive, warning that "you're going to get your ass handed to you if you're not careful."

Sawyer's comments underline how New Vegas diverged from its predecessor in tone and mechanics, using enemy placement and scaling to shape where players could safely travel and to reinforce a more punishing, choice-driven world. The remarks reflect the developer's intent that players approach the game with more caution than they might have in Fallout 3, treating combat encounters as a lesson in the game's distinct design philosophy rather than an open invitation to explore freely.