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

The Fallout TV series has made a triumphant return to its platform, and it's fair to say that fans were pleasantly surprised by the quality of its first season. By depicting the retro-futuristic, nuclear-ravaged United States through the perspectives of three separate characters, it managed to capture different facets of the player's journey.

We followed Lucy the vault dweller, striving to uphold her morals and learning that the barren landscape made that very difficult; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel rookie, who begins to question his cult's authority and causes a lot of havoc in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has entirely abandoned any ethical bearings out in the irradiated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for the Second Season

The show's first season finale unveiled key information about who helped cause the global annihilation that trapped a population in underground vaults for hundreds of years. It also posed several enigmas unresolved for the second season – and, now, expectations are considerably elevated.

“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – we should print that on merchandise,” says one of the series creators.

“Heading into the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” states the game director. “We are ecstatic with the response to the show, so this time people are coming in with more excitement and altered expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The new season is located in New Vegas, the setting of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the best writing and personalities in the series, despite the fact that it was a bit broken at launch.

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

In the series narrative, a considerable period has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the characters arrive there. Nevertheless, the creators indicate that it does reference the fan's adventure.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is praised for its tactile feel – its production team insisted on authentic items and environments were fabricated, echoing the makeshift nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many series I watch, I’m aware that they’re all filmed against a digital backdrop,” says another of the showrunners. “The whole point of an adaptation, especially of a interactive medium, is to appear as if it’s real.”

Indeed, almost every element you see on-screen is physical, even the notoriously frightening radioactive creatures known as the apex predators. In the show, they are portrayed by animatronics, and were apparently rather intimidating up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series succeeds 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 shared passion for the universe is apparent in the finished show.

The new batch of episodes is debuting on a episode-by-episode basis rather than as a binge-able batch, marking a change from the previous season. This approach will create a different viewing experience, a dynamic the team themselves are looking forward to witness.

“It's richer, it’s more expansive, it’s wittier, it has a lot of twists,” promises the game director. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”