Behind the Scenes of Fallout, Gaming’s Most Astonishing Television Success

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that viewers were agreeably astonished by the quality of its initial run. By illustrating the atomic-age, nuclear-ravaged United States through the eyes of three distinct characters, it managed to capture multiple facets of the gamer's experience.

There was vault-dweller Lucy, trying to act with integrity and learning that the wasteland made that incredibly hard; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel initiate, who begins to question his organization's dogma and causes plenty of trouble in powered exoskeleton; and the Ghoul, a fan-favorite figure who has entirely abandoned any moral compass out in the contaminated badlands.

Setting the Stage for Season Two

The debut season's ending unveiled key information about those responsible for the atomic conflict that sealed a society in subterranean shelters for hundreds of years. It also left plenty of questions unanswered for the second season – and, now, expectations are much greater.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” remarks the show's co-creator.

“Going into the initial season, people were like, ‘Just get it right’,” states Todd Howard. “We’re over the moon with the reception to the show, so now people are arriving with more excitement and different expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for the Next Installment

The new season is located in the neon-lit city, the location of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the best writing and characters in the series, even if it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It’s more of a arid atmosphere, a Southwestern essence, that’s so essential to that game,” notes the co-creator. “That dusty, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much enjoyable to incorporate into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a long time has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. However, the creators hint that it acknowledges the player’s journey.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is praised for its tactile feel – its makers ensured authentic items and environments were fabricated, echoing the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many shows I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all standing in front of a green screen,” comments co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to feel like it’s tangible.”

In fact, virtually each creature you see on-screen is practical, including the notoriously frightening irradiated monsters known as the apex predators. In the show, they are portrayed by practical effects, and were apparently pretty frightening up close.

A Labor of Love

The Fallout series resonates because it is made by talented film-makers who are also longtime fans, with the help of the original creators behind the source material. This mutual respect for the world is apparent in the final product.

The second season is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a all-at-once release, representing a shift from the previous season. This approach will create a altered audience reaction, a dynamic the team themselves are eager to witness.

“It's richer, it’s bigger, it’s funnier, it has a lot of twists,” promises the game director. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”