🔗 Share this article

The Fallout TV series has made a triumphant return to streaming services, and it's accurate to state that viewers were agreeably astonished by the caliber of its debut season. By illustrating the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three separate characters, it managed to capture various facets of the player's experience.

There was Lucy the vault dweller, striving to uphold her morals and discovering that the wasteland made that very difficult; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel new recruit, who begins to question his cult's leadership and unleashes plenty of trouble in robotic power armour; and Walton Goggins's character, a breakout character who has completely shed any ethical bearings out in the irradiated wilderness.

Building Anticipation for a New Chapter

The debut season's conclusion revealed a major secret about the culprits behind the global annihilation that sealed a society in bomb-proof bunkers for an extended period. It also left plenty of questions unanswered for the next installment – and, now, hopes are significantly higher.

“We’ll take ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” says the show's co-creator.

“Going into the initial season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” adds a key figure from the games. “We are thrilled with the reception to the show, so now people are coming in with more enthusiasm and new expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment

The second season is taking place in New Vegas, the backdrop of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the most compelling narratives and characters in the franchise, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It embodies a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That parched, desolate iconic highway vibe of the game is so much enjoyable to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a considerable period has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the characters arrive there. Yet, the creators hint that it does reference the gamer's experience.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tactile feel – its makers prioritized physical models and locations were fabricated, mirroring the makeshift nature of the settlements in the games.

“As a sci-fi fan, so many productions I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a blue screen,” comments another of the showrunners. “The key objective of an adaptation, especially of a video game, is to seem like it’s tangible.”

Indeed, almost everything you see on-screen is practical, even the infamously terrifying radioactive creatures known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using practical effects, and were apparently rather intimidating up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series resonates because it is crafted by accomplished storytellers who are also longtime fans, in collaboration with the game developers behind the video games. This common understanding for the universe is evident in the final product.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a full-season drop, offering a different experience from the previous season. This schedule will foster a altered viewing experience, a dynamic the team themselves are eager to engage with.

“It's richer, it’s bigger, it’s more humorous, it has a lot of twists,” teases Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”