Despite no new game releases since 2018, Fallout has had a massive year. Thanks to the success of Amazon Prime’s live-action adaptation, excitement for Fallout has been reignited, with both longtime fans and newcomers to the franchise reveling in some post-apocalyptic adventures. Fallout saw a climax this year with a big win at The Game Awards, further demonstrating how big of a hit the series’ first season was.
At the Game Awards, Fallout took home the award for Best Adaptation, winning in a tight race against Arcane. Not only was this a big win for the show, but it was a huge win for the franchise as a whole, as it marks a strong end to an already thriving year. Because of the Fallout show’s popularity, Fallout 76, Fallout 4, and other games in the series saw substantial upticks in their respective player counts. Now, with this win under its belt, the live-action series has established itself as a core piece of Fallout media. With hopes for Fallout 5 growing, The Game Awards win may indicate that the next game could be far more tied to the live-action adaptation than originally expected.
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After the Fallout Show’s Success, Bethesda May Look Into Tying Fallout 5 in With Its Story
Plans For Fallout 5 Remain Unclear
On the bright side, Todd Howard has confirmed that Fallout 5 will happen. In a 2022 interview with IGN, he stated, “Yes, Elder Scrolls 6 is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing Fallout 5 after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while.” Unfortunately, there is no release date in sight for The Elder Scrolls 6, meaning that fans may have a long road ahead of them before getting to see a new Fallout game. However, it’s highly possible that the lore being brought forth by the Fallout show could inform where Fallout 5‘s story goes.
Of course, nothing is certain, and Fallout 5 could be set in a completely different time and place than the series. On the other hand, though, as the show continues to build a fanbase, it’s also possible that Bethesda may want to capitalize on such success and draw in players with overarching moments.
Ways Fallout 5 Could Connect Itself to the Prime Video Series
- Being set in New Vegas or the greater New California Republic area
- Set in the year 2296
- Featuring cameos from series characters
- Referencing series characters and events
At the end of Fallout season 1, many longtime Fallout fans were ecstatic to see that New Vegas would be playing a role in the next season. Demand for a second Fallout: New Vegas game has been ongoing since the first one’s release, and bringing the story back to this location in order to tie it to the series in some way might be exciting. While bringing this type of crossover to Fallout 5 could also be controversial, it may be a great way to include new lore into the games’ canon and capitalize on its popularity.
Fallout season 2 has no official release date, but it likely won’t be until 2026.
From full-blown cameos by Lucy or The Ghoul to potential murmurings from NPCs about Moldaver and her work with cold fusion, both blatant and subtle references may prove exciting. Now that Fallout season 2 has begun filming, it’s clear that a significant amount of franchise lore will be coming from the series instead of games. There is, of course, Fallout 76, but when it comes to more ground-breaking lore developments, the Fallout series is more likely to reveal such updates.
Until Bethesda makes anything official, the future of the Fallout games is purely speculation. Only time will tell if the series and the games will become entangled, but the success of the former feels bound to inform the latter.
