'Fallout' Fans Won't Need to Replay a Game to Watch the Show
"It exists in the same world, but it’s its own unique thing, so it adds to it," Bethesda director Todd Howard said.
Published April 11 2024, 9:00 a.m. ET
Video games have been seeing a slew of applause-worthy adaptations lately. Between the goofy yet fun Super Mario Bros. Movie and the heartbreaking HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, gamers have had more reason than ever to turn off their consoles and binge a show.
Fallout is one of the highly anticipated shows based on a series of video games, but which of the franchise's games is the show based on, if any? Here's what you should know before watching.
Is the 'Fallout' series based on one of the 'Fallout' games?
Though plenty of the other adaptations hitting screens are based directly on the storylines unfolding in specific titles, Fallout is tackling things a bit differently. There are four Fallout games in the mainline series, as well as seven spinoffs, and Fallout 5 is supposedly in the works. But for the Prime Video series, the creators decided to take it in a different direction, basing the story on the world of Fallout rather than a specific game.
“For this, it was ‘Let’s do something that exists in the world of Fallout.’ It’s not retelling a game’s story. It’s basically an area of the map and like, let’s tell a story here that fits in the world we built and doesn’t break any of the rules,” Bethesda director Todd Howard said in an interview on Lex Fridman's podcast. “It can reference things in the games, but isn’t a retelling of the games. It exists in the same world, but it’s its own unique thing, so it adds to it.”
Instead, there is a litany of Easter eggs embedded in the Fallout television series that fans of the games can call back to — and yes, the giant cockroaches are one of those Easter eggs. It's safe to say that anyone, regardless of their experience with the Fallout games, will be able to dive right into this show.
Where does the 'Fallout' show take place?
The Fallout video games have taken place in various redesigned locations across the United States, but the show will centralize in California, specifically the Los Angeles area. Vault 33, where our plucky protagonist Lucy MacLean starts her journey, is just outside Santa Monica — in fact, when Lucy reaches the surface for the first time, you can see the now-decrepit Pacific Wheel in the distance.
Other locations explored in the first season, like Sandy Shores and Filly, are also central to Southern California. Though the ramshackle town Filly seems to be nicknamed for Philadelphia, don't get it confused with the Pennsylvania town — we're not traveling across the country and back in the first season.
Where was 'Fallout' filmed? Filming location details.
Despite Season 1 taking place in the Los Angeles area, it was actually filmed in New York, per the LA Times. It's not clear where exactly in New York Fallout was filmed, but if the show returns for Season 2, it'll be relocating to California.
According to the outlet, the California Film Commission has offered the show's production company $152 million in tax credits to film Fallout and 11 other television shows in the state.