Historically speaking, live-action video game adaptations have generally been a hit or miss, with many films and TV shows not living up to the hype. However, Prime Video’s adaptation of Bethesda’s popular post-apocalyptic video game franchise, Fallout, became an instant hit with audiences worldwide and was renewed for a second season just a week after its release. The show also became the 2nd most-watched title on Prime with over 65 million viewers in only 2 weeks of its debut.
The show has ushered in a new era of video game adaptations, which have seen drastic improvements in recent years and seem to get better and better as time passes. It is set around 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse and stars Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins and Aaron Moten in leading roles. One of the key reasons for the show’s massive success is that it is welcoming to both traditional video game fans and newcomers alike, the ingenuity behind this lies in the way in which Fallout was adapted from an established video game series to the small screen.
The Success of Shows Like ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘The Witcher’ Paved Way for a Fallout Series
Throughout the years, we’ve seen several popular video game adaptations flop, for example, Resident Evil and Doom, but more recently, TV shows/movies based on game franchises have seen a surge in both quality and popularity. Especially with the tremendous success of adaptations like The Witcher, which had the biggest debut on Netflix with over 76 million subscribers viewing it within the first few weeks of release. Also, The Last of Us, which set ratings records with millions of viewers on HBO and displayed faster viewer growth than the strongly established Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon.
TV shows like these, in addition to highly successful movie adaptations like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s, have undoubtedly paved the way for an entirely new age of video game adaptations that are now being compared to the likes of Marvel superhero movies, in terms of size and scale. Fallout is yet another successful adaptation that shows the potential of video-game based franchises. Although Hollywood had been involved in video game adaptations since the early 90s, the scale and popularity seen in the past few years could potentially mark a golden age for this medium.
Bethesda Had Been Approached Multiple Times for a TV Adaptation Since 2008
Reportedly, this wasn’t the first time Bethesda Studios was approached for an adaptation of the Fallout video game. Todd Howard, Bethesda’s executive producer and director, revealed that he had been contacted on multiple occasions for a TV adaptation of the game, ever since the release of Fallout 3 game in 2008. But the looming fear of the impact of a poorly made adaptation is what kept Bethesda reluctant from any involvement in the TV show business. None of the ideas presented truly met the vision of the Fallout series, according to Howard.
All of this changed when Westworld director Jonathan Nolan, a passionate Fallout fan himself, approached Bethesda with his idea of a TV adaption. Howard was thoroughly impressed with Nolan’s vision for the show which gave him enough creative freedom to create a unique standalone story as long as it stayed true to the vision behind the Fallout universe. Howard signed on as the co-executive producer of the show, which went on to release on April 10th, 2024, alongside Nolan and his wife, Lisa Joy,
The Fallout TV Adaptation Stays True to Retrofuturistic and Thematic Elements of the Game
Although the adaptation presents a distinct storyline that isn’t based on any of the games, it stays sincere to the thematic and ideological elements of the video game franchise. The show is set after the events of Fallout 4, 219 years after the Great War of 2077, a nuclear holocaust that wiped out a large part of humanity as referenced in the games. The show is set in Los Angeles, a location never before covered in any of the games, but the dystopic wasteland is all too reminiscent of the in-game Fallout universe.
From the notable blue-vault jumpsuits and armor to weapons such as the iconic junk jet, all have been meticulously recreated for the series. The retro-futuristic design elements of the games have also been brilliantly incorporated into the show, even the factions such as the ‘Vault Dwellers’ and ‘Brotherhood of Steel’ have been beautifully embodied. These elements provide some solid nostalgic value to long-time Fallout players while the genius storytelling using a series of pre-war flashbacks engages newcomers, providing an almost perfect visual experience. Also, check out this guide on why this one actress from Fallout looked familiar.
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