Behind the Scenes of the Fallout Universe, the Gaming World’s Most Surprising TV Hit

The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to its platform, and it's fair to say that viewers were agreeably astonished by the caliber of its initial run. By illustrating the atomic-age, nuclear-ravaged United States through the perspectives of three different characters, it effectively portrayed different facets of the gamer's journey.

We followed vault-dweller Lucy, striving to do the right thing and learning that the barren landscape made that incredibly hard; Max, the militant faction initiate, who starts challenging his faction's dogma and unleashes a lot of havoc in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has completely shed any ethical bearings out in the contaminated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for a New Chapter

The show's first season finale disclosed key information about who helped cause the nuclear war that sealed a group of people in underground vaults for centuries. It also posed several enigmas open for the upcoming chapter – and, on this occasion, hopes are significantly higher.

“We'd gladly accept ‘not terrible’ – let’s get that on a poster,” says Jonah Nolan.

“Starting the first season, people were like, ‘Just don't mess it up’,” states the game director. “We’re over the moon with the feedback to the show, so this time people are arriving with more excitement and different expectations.”

The Mojave Beckons for Season Two

The second season is set in the neon-lit city, the location of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is frequently celebrated for having the best writing and characters in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.

“It has a desert vibe, a Southwestern essence, that’s so key to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That parched, desolate iconic highway aesthetic of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the show's timeline, a long time has passed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists make their way there. However, the creators suggest that it does reference the player’s journey.

The Importance of Physical Sets

The Fallout TV series is notable for its tactile feel – its production team ensured real props and environments were constructed, mirroring the cobbled-together nature of the towns in the games.

“Being a genre enthusiast, so many series I watch, I’m aware that they’re all standing in front of a green screen,” says another of the showrunners. “The key objective of an adaptation, particularly of a video game, is to seem like it’s tangible.”

Actually, virtually everything you see on-screen is real, even the legendarily scary radioactive creatures known as the apex predators. In the show, they are brought to life with animatronics, and were apparently rather intimidating up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is developed by skilled directors who are also longtime fans, in collaboration with the game developers behind the franchise. This mutual respect for the lore is apparent 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 initial release. This format will foster a altered weekly discussion, something the creators themselves are excited to observe.

“It has more depth, it’s larger in scale, it’s wittier, it has a lot of twists,” says the game director. “I can't wait to seeing what people think.”