🔗 Share this article Inside Fallout, the Gaming World’s Most Surprising TV Hit The post-apocalyptic TV show is back to its platform, and it's safe to say that fans were delightfully shocked by the caliber of its first season. By illustrating the atomic-age, nuclear-ravaged United States through the lenses of three different characters, it effectively portrayed multiple facets of the player's experience. We followed Lucy the vault dweller, attempting to do the right thing and finding that the ruined world made that exceptionally challenging; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel rookie, who begins to question his organization's leadership and causes significant chaos in robotic power armour; and Walton Goggins's character, a breakout character who has long since lost any sense of morality out in the radioactive badlands. Setting the Stage for a New Chapter The show's first season finale revealed crucial details about those responsible for the atomic conflict that sealed a society in underground vaults for an extended period. It also left numerous mysteries unresolved for the next installment – and, this time, hopes are considerably elevated. “We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” quips one of the series creators. “Going into the initial season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” adds Todd Howard. “We are thrilled with the reception to the show, so now people are coming in with more eagerness and new expectations.” The Mojave Beckons for Season Two The second season is set in the neon-lit city, the backdrop of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is frequently celebrated for having the best writing and personalities in the franchise, even if it was somewhat buggy at launch. “It has a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so key to that game,” notes Nolan. “That dusty, desolate Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.” In the series narrative, a significant amount of time has elapsed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. Yet, the creators hint that it acknowledges the player’s journey. The Importance of Physical Sets The Fallout TV series is distinguished by its tactile feel – its makers prioritized real props and locations were fabricated, reflecting the makeshift nature of the outposts in the games. “Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m aware that they’re all standing in front of a blue screen,” says co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an translation, especially of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s real.” In fact, almost everything you see on-screen is physical, including the legendarily scary radioactive creatures known as the apex predators. In the show, they are brought to life with practical effects, and were by all accounts quite terrifying up close. A Labor of Love The Fallout series resonates because it is developed by talented film-makers who are also passionate gamers, in collaboration with the original creators behind the source material. This mutual respect for the world is clear in the final product. The second season is being released on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a full-season drop, marking a change from the previous season. This approach will foster a new viewing experience, something the creators themselves are looking forward to witness. “It delves deeper, it’s larger in scale, it’s wittier, it has a lot of surprises,” says Howard. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”