The mastermind behind Fallout, Todd Howard, and the Amazon Prime TV show‘s executive producer Jonathan Nolan, have ended a major question that’s been bugging fans for a while—how does the TV show fit into the timeline of the games?
During a recent interview, they spilled the beans of the intricate timeline, cleared up some major doubts, and spoke about some cool behind-the-scenes information that you might find interesting.
How the Fallout TV Show Fits Within the Official Timeline
Set in the year 2296, the Fallout show explores a timeline not covered by the games. For context, the fourth game takes place in 2287, while the TV show takes place in 2296, almost a decade later.
In the IGN interview, Howard confirms that the events of the TV show are very much canon to the official lore. One of the biggest reveals that we got from the show was regarding the fate of Shady Sands, a recurring area in the franchise.
It turns out that Shady Sands met its demise at the hands of Hank MacLean, overseer of Vault 33, a secret Vault-Tec employee, and the father of protagonist Lucy MacLean.
Howard mentions that the idea of obliterating Shady Sands was proposed by showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and it completely shocked him. They eventually went with it, and Howard made sure that the events that transpired would align with the canon events of the franchise:
….we talked through it and it was, ‘This would be a pretty impactful story moment that a lot of things anchor on.
There was a bit of confusion as to whether the dates regarding the fall of Shady Sands were consistent with the lore told in New Vegas.
However, if you consider the downfall and destruction of the place as two separate events, the events still line up. Howard himself affirmed that both the game and show narratives coexist within a “tight” timeline.
So What is the Official Fallout Timeline?
Every installment of the Fallout franchise falls against the backdrop of a world forever altered by the catastrophic events of the Great War in 2077, which plunged humanity into the depths of nuclear devastation.
Fallout 76 serves as a prequel, set in 2102, exploring the origins of factions like the Brotherhood of Steel. Then comes Fallout 1, which drops players into 2161 in Southern California.
Fallout Tactics kicks off the Brotherhood of Steel’s journey in 2197. Fallout 2, in 2241, follows the Vault Dweller’s descendants navigating political intrigue.
In the third game, players emerge from Vault 101 in the year 2277 on a quest to find their missing father (similar to the TV show). New Vegas, set in 2281, sees players caught in factional conflict.
The fourth game begins in 2287, with players as the sole survivor emerging from Vault 111. Lastly, the TV series ventures to 2296, tracking Lucy MacLean’s quest from Vault 33.
Which one is your favorite game from the franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
