I think the saving grace may be this:

Previously, Sawyer had been directing a roleplaying game that was similar structurally and thematically to Fallout but was not part of the franchise.

I almost wonder if they knew this might happen and Josh was in pre-production on “totally not Fallout but actually Fallout” as an insurance policy. Also, Tim Cain actually recently came back to Obsidian full-time - which may just be a coincidence, but is very convenient for making the argument for them to be given the project.