Amazon's adaptation of the Fallout series has garnered widespread acclaim, yet it hasn't been immune to criticism, particularly from fans dissatisfied with its portrayal of Fallout: New Vegas.
Fallout on Prime a Hit With Players, Well Most of Them
Fallout Season 1 'Retcons' New Vegas
The Fallout show series on Amazon Prime has turned out as a huge success in the short span of time since its release on April 10. With the show already securing a second season, quite a few factions of the game series' fans expressed their discontentment with how it showed the action RPG series' spinoff, Fallout: New Vegas
Showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner talked about their intention to diverge from the Fallout series' canon endings. The Fallout show team seemed head-on to tell varied stories going forward.
"All we really want the audience to know is that things have happened," Wagner said in a recent interview with GQ, "so that there isn't an expectation that we pick the show up in season two, following one of the myriad canon endings that depend on your choices when you play [Fallout: New Vegas]."
Before any more details are shared further, first we must preface this with:
SPOILERS AHEAD!
In the Fallout season one finale "The Beginning," our vault-dweller Lucy learned shocking truths from Moldaver about her father’s, Hank, involvement with Vault-Tec and the nuclear war. Rising tensions concluded with unexpected alliances and betrayals. The episode ended with Hank wandering through the Mojave Desert on his way to a rather grimly depicted city of New Vegas—a stark contrast to its vibrant portrayal in the game.
The showrunners justified this decision, mentioning that their goal is to portray a world in constant flux—where nothing remains unchanged—and to build on top of what the games have offered in the past two decades. The thematic shift set the stage for a narrative rich with unexpected twists and new storylines.
Wagner explained, "The idea that more stuff has happened, and that we're not leaving worlds as we left them, was sort of the philosophy of approaching the first season being set in Los Angeles. We do hope to continue that, and create story on top of story…"
"That's been the entire exercise from the jump, right? 25 years of games, how do you do something on top of it, like a teetering Jenga tower," Wagner continued. "But that was always the goal. So we are hoping to do that again in another area that is strongly implied by the finale of the first season. [Laughs.] I might as well have said it at that point."
Wagner and Robertson-Dworet promised that Fallout season two will delve deeper into the Fallout universe, exploring untold stories and expanding upon pivotal moments hinted at in the first season. In particular, a hot topic among fans, Vault-Tec executives, and the origins of the Great War, along with flashbacks and character developments, will take center stage.
Season one's ending heavily implied that Vault-Tec dropped the first bomb that started the Great War. To that, Wagner offered, "I would just not treat anything as definitive because, again, everything that we see is very subjective. That scene occurred. But what occurs between then and the actual bombs falling… there's more exciting stuff planned between that moment and the last moment, I guess I should say."
Fallout: New Vegas Director Josh Sawyer is Unbothered with Show's Take
- [1] screenshot taken from Reddit
While some fans voiced concerns over deviations from the game's extensive lore, or "retconning" as they might say, Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer maintained a healthy detachment, acknowledging the show's creative liberties. "This might sound weird, but whatever happens with it, I don’t care," Sawyer said in an interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
"My attitude towards properties that I work on, and even characters that I create, is that I don’t own any of this stuff. It was never mine. And the thing that I made is what I made."
He remained proud of what the New Vegas team has achieved and believed the game has a life of its own. Sawyer said if others make changes to it in the future, he might have opinions but doesn't get too attached to things he can't control. "I don’t feel like it’s healthy for me to be really invested in something I have no control over, frankly."
Fallout 76 Hits a Million Player Count in a Single Day
Amazon's Fallout series has proven to be a huge success, drawing in five million views in its first full week of release as well as reigniting interest in the Fallout game series. There has been a notable surge of player activity across various Fallout games in the past few weeks.
Over a million players were recorded to have flocked Fallout 76 in just one day alone, and as proudly announced by Fallout on Twitter (X), "...almost five million across all Fallout games in a single day!⚡"
"It’s amazing to see the large influx of new Appalachian Adventurers, and how our awesome community has welcomed them!," wrote Fallout 76 director Jonathan Rush. "A very exciting moment with many (many) more to come!"
Source:
The Fallout creators discuss their big plans for season 2, and break down that finale
Whatever the Fallout TV show does with New Vegas lore, Josh Sawyer doesn’t care: “It was never mine”
Luminate Streaming Ratings: ‘Fallout,’ ‘What Jennifer Did,’ ‘Baby Reindeer,’ ‘Unlocked’ Top TV Series and Film Charts for April 12-18
[1] r/Fallout
