Behind the Scenes of Fallout, Gaming’s Most Unexpected Small Screen Triumph

The post-apocalyptic TV series is back to streaming services, and it's fair to say that viewers were agreeably astonished by the excellence of its first season. By illustrating the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic United States through the eyes of three separate characters, it succeeded in capturing different facets of the gamer's adventure.

There was vault-dweller Lucy, attempting to do the right thing and finding that the wasteland made that very difficult; Brotherhood initiate Max, the Brotherhood of Steel initiate, who begins to question his organization's leadership and unleashes plenty of trouble in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a breakout character who has entirely abandoned any moral compass out in the contaminated wilderness.

Setting the Stage for a New Chapter

The debut season's finale revealed crucial details about who helped cause the atomic conflict that condemned a population in underground vaults for hundreds of years. It also raised plenty of questions unanswered for the next installment – and, on this occasion, anticipations are much greater.

“We’ll take ‘not terrible’ – let’s get that on a poster,” says the show's co-creator.

“Starting the initial season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” comments Todd Howard. “We are thrilled with the response to the show, so this time people are coming in with more enthusiasm and different expectations.”

A New Vegas Vibe for Season Two

The new season is located in New Vegas, the backdrop of the 2010’s game Fallout: New Vegas, which is often praised for having the most compelling narratives and cast in the series, despite the fact that it was somewhat buggy at launch.

“It has a arid atmosphere, a Mojave vibe, that’s so integral to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That parched, blasted-out iconic highway aesthetic of the game is so much fun to bring into the show.”

In the series narrative, a considerable period has elapsed since the story of the New Vegas game by the time the protagonists arrive there. Yet, the creators suggest that it will honor the player’s journey.

Crafting a Tangible World

The Fallout TV series is praised for its tactile feel – its production team insisted on real props and environments were fabricated, mirroring 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 blue screen,” says co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The whole point of an translation, especially of a interactive medium, is to seem like it’s tangible.”

Actually, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is practical, even the legendarily scary irradiated monsters known as the apex predators. In the show, they are created using practical effects, and were apparently pretty frightening up close.

Made by Fans, for Fans

The Fallout series works because it is made by talented film-makers who are also dedicated players, alongside the game developers behind the video games. This common understanding for the lore is clear in the finished show.

The new batch of episodes is being released on a weekly basis rather than as a binge-able batch, marking a change from the first season. This approach will create a different weekly discussion, something the team themselves are looking forward to observe.

“It has more depth, it’s bigger, it’s more humorous, it has a lot of surprises,” promises Howard. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people think.”