Bethesda Game Studios CEO Todd Howard asked the producers of the Fallout series not to include certain secret things in it, as the developer plans to use them in Fallout 5. In a conversation with Den of Geek The creators of the series did not disclose the details of their show or games, but spoke about the close relationship between their lore.
The screen adaptation of Fallout involves the creators of «Wild West World» Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, as well as showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dvoret and Graham Wagner. Bethesda’s Todd Howard, who has led the creation of every major game in the series since Fallout 3 in 2008. During the SXSW 2024 festival, journalists talked to most of the series’ creative team and the main cast to learn more about their views on video games. They asked the team to clarify Nolan’s recent comment about the status of the TV show in the Fallout canon, which caused excitement among fans.
«Our series is connected to games, like games are connected to each other. It’s almost like we’re Fallout,” Nolan said earlier. — I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but this is just a non-interactive version, right?»
Some concerned fans quickly took this to mean that the series was replacing the Fallout 5 game. But that’s not the case, Nolan and Howard say in response to questions.
«I think it would be very presumptuous for anyone to suggest that we’re going to reach the caliber of the games,— says Nolan, and also explains the benefits of placing the show in the same timeline as the Bethesda titles (the Amazon series takes place after all the games, in 2296). «That means you have all the benefits of the great storytelling that Todd has contributed to, but we can also tell an original story in that world. For us as writers and directors, it’s a dream come true».
«I think we made Fallout 6, — Wagner jokes during the conversation. «We know everything about Fallout 5, we don’t tell anyone», — Nolan jokingly adds.
Todd Howard knows everything about the real Fallout 5 game. Bethesda is already working on the game, but it won’t be released until the team finishes working on The Elder Scrolls 6. Taking advantage of this, Todd dissuaded the show’s creators from anything that could contradict the story of Fallout 5.
«There were some moments when I said, «Don’t do that, because we’re going to do that in Fallout 5,» Howard intrigues. At the same time, he assures us that the Fallout series tells its own original story that does not repeat events from the games.
During our conversation, Howard clearly defined the goal of the team’s work: to create a series that will appeal to both longtime game fans and newcomers.
«In many ways, a game is just one of the portals to the world. Yes, you’re in control, but for a lot of people that can be a little bit intimidating,” Howard says. — “They’re not going to sit down and learn the game, it’s a big learning process. In the TV format, it can be very cinematic — as Jonathan says, «we’re making an eight-hour movie here». If you’re already a fan of the series, you can skip ahead to the next chapter of Fallout. If you’re not a fan and you’re a little intimidated by a game like this, you can experience everything that’s great about this world by pressing your button and enjoying it».