War never changes are the famous words that set the backdrop for the Fallout franchise and its devastated wasteland. Although each Fallout game has its unique take on the narrative, every game follows The Great War, an apocalyptic event that resulted in a thermonuclear war between America and China, ultimately leading to the end of civilization as we know it.
The game world of Fallout takes place in an alternate timeline where advanced nuclear physics is developed to exceptional levels by the time of World War 2, however, virtually every other form of technology is still in the 1950s. This unique take on history gives Fallout its unique charm.
Fallout Charts New Frontier With Amazon
Fallout was initially a one-man show with Tim Cain of Interplay Productions working on it for 6 months. He eventually got help from other Interplay employees, and by 1996 the team had grown to 30 people. Tim Cain and his team created the first two games which are certified classics in the CRPG genre.
Interplay faced financial trouble in the 2000s. They licensed the rights to develop and publish the games to Bethesda. Todd Howard started working on the franchise as a key director and producer with Fallout 3.
Although Howard’s tenure as the overseer of all things Fallout hasn’t always been met with praise, Howard’s leadership of the franchise has led to significant growth, making it one of Bethesda’s most recognizable titles alongside the Elder Scrolls series.
This brings us to the latest development in the complex lore of the mutant-infested postapocalyptic wasteland, its new Amazon series. In a recent interview, Howard spoke about how the series does something the video games have yet to touch:
The big [change] was exploring the past[…]”We both wanted to do that with the show, but the one thing we could never do in the games was [explore] the past. The way Jonah and everyone else has explored what the US was like, what’s the threat of the atomic bomb and what will people do if a nuclear war happens, what’s the Red Scare, who’s Vault-Tec… they brought all this fabulous history and lore to Fallout. All these things then affect the present day characters in the show, so it was a treat for me and everyone at Bethesda who has worked on Fallout to think ‘Oh, this is really fresh, but it’s also quintessential Fallout’.
Although various Fallout games give bits and pieces regarding the Great War, the Amazon series is the first piece of media that portrays events from the war itself on screen. This dive into the past introduces both fans and newcomers alike to the complex geopolitical history that led to the post-apocalyptic world.
Will Fallout Return To The Past?
Does this sweet, albeit brief, venture into the past highlight what could be in store for Fallout 5? According to Howard and the showrunners, ideas for Fallout 5 are already in the works; so much so that Howard made a point for the show not to present certain things.
Although various Fallout games have referenced or made allusions to the Great War, none have shown the spectacular catastrophe directly.
Likely, Fallout 5 will also not be a complete prequel to the series, but the fact that the Amazon series seems to have gotten the creative juices flowing at Bethesda may offer insight into what the next exploration of the wasteland blasting your way through Supermutants and Rad Roaches might hold.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
