Fans of the Fallout franchise can breathe a sigh of relief – the highly anticipated Fallout TV series being developed for Prime Video will not retcon the events of previous entries in the series, including the beloved Fallout: New Vegas. This confirmation comes directly from Bethesda’s own Todd Howard, the director and executive producer responsible for spearheading the hit video game franchise.
The news comes after some initial confusion among fans regarding the show’s depiction of the fate of Shady Sands, a key location in the Fallout universe. In the television adaptation, Shady Sands is shown as a smoldering crater, with an in-show timeline indicating the city’s destruction occurred in 2277 – just four years before the events of Fallout: New Vegas. This seemed to suggest a potential retcon of the established Fallout canon.
However, Howard has now put those concerns to rest, emphatically stating that “everything that happened in the previous games, including New Vegas, happened.” He went on to clarify that the bombing of Shady Sands occurred “just after the events of New Vegas,” rather than before, allaying fears of a timeline discrepancy.
“I had an emotional reaction to [the destruction of Shady Sands] given the history of that location in the franchise from Fallout 1,” Howard admitted to IGN. “But we’re careful about the timeline, and there might be a little bit of confusion at some places, but everything that happened in the previous games still happened.”
This sentiment was echoed by Bethesda’s Emil Pagliarulo, the lead designer and writer of Fallout 3 and 4, who previously stated on social media that “of course” New Vegas remains canonical, and that the studio “has never suggested otherwise.”
With the full weight of Bethesda’s top creative talent behind the assertion, Fallout fans can rest assured that the television adaptation will not undermine or contradict the established lore and events of the beloved video game series. In fact, Howard teased that the show may even provide opportunities to further explore the world of Fallout: New Vegas, stating that the series will “visit” that particular setting in the future.
“The bombs fall just after the events of New Vegas,” Howard reiterated. “That’s when Shady Sands blows.”
As the Fallout TV show continues to unfold, it’s clear that Bethesda is committed to preserving the integrity of the franchise’s expansive and beloved canon. For longtime fans, this news will undoubtedly be a welcome relief, paving the way for the series to seamlessly integrate with the rich history and storytelling that has captivated Fallout enthusiasts for decades.
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