Discover how Bethesda's Fallout 76 achieved unprecedented success, surpassing 20 million players, as Amazon's Fallout TV series set the stage for an epic post-apocalyptic resurgence according to Bethesda’s director and executive producer, Todd Howard.
Fallout 76 Surges to 20 Million Players
Fallout TV Series Propels Fallout 76 to New Heights
As the dust settles in the irradiated wasteland of the Fallout universe, a new era dawns for Bethesda Game Studios' flagship title, Fallout 76. The game, which initially faced a rocky launch in October 2018, has surged to unprecedented heights, surpassing 20 million downloads and plays as of Wednesday. This surge in popularity can be attributed in part to the recent success of Amazon's Fallout TV series, which premiered on April 10.
In an exclusive interview with Variety, Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, reflected on the unexpected surge in popularity for Fallout 76. "It's kind of been sneaky popular for a while, but not to this level, and it's just been really great for the whole studio," Howard remarked.
The release of Jonathan Nolan's Fallout TV adaptation on Prime Video has acted as a catalyst, propelling Fallout 76 to new heights. The series, which has already been renewed for a second season, garnered 65 million viewers within its first 16 days of availability, making it one of the most-watched titles on the platform.
As for the future of the Fallout universe, both in television and gaming, Howard remains optimistic. Regarding plans for Fallout Season 2, Howard confirmed the intention to continue exploring the characters introduced in the first season, emphasizing the importance of character-driven storytelling in television.
Fallout Series Experiences 600% Surge in Daily Active Users
Daily active users across all Fallout titles developed and published by Bethesda, including Fallout Shelter, Fallout 4, Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas, have skyrocketed by over 600%, exceeding 5 million players. Howard expressed astonishment at the surge, stating, "Depending on the 'Fallout' game, you're looking at a 4-6x increase in daily players, which is beyond anything I've ever seen in my 30 years of doing this."
Moreover, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 currently rank among the top seven first-party Xbox Game Pass games by hours played, underscoring the enduring appeal of the franchise.
Future Plans for the Fallout Universe
In terms of new games in the franchise, Howard hinted at ongoing plans for future installments. "The TV show, I feel like it took us 15 years from when I first started talking about it, but it was five years since Jonah and I first talked," Howard revealed. "And games take a good five-ish years. So we're in plans for future games in this series, and nothing to talk about right now, but we're always planning."
As the Fallout universe expands across both television and gaming platforms, fans can eagerly anticipate the continuation of their post-apocalyptic adventures in this richly immersive world.
Source:
Variety Exclusive Interview
