Nuclear cars, the war between China and the United States, and life in shelters. 

What is the Fallout game about, which was followed by a TV series released on April, 11, 2024? We have been looking into the history of the series creation and evolution. 

Two approaches to the Brotherhood of Steel

To begin our Fallout series review, in March 2001, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel from the Australian studio Micro Forte was released. Unlike its predecessors, it relied not on the plot or role-playing, but on a tactical combat system and strategy. For the first time in the history of the Fallout series TV, it also introduced the ability to play in multiplayer and, if desired, conduct battles in real time. Interestingly, shortly before the release, Interplay planned to release a sequel, but due to low sales of Brotherhood, it immediately scrapped the project. 

Interplay decided that it was time for Fallout to “conquer” the console market: Fallout was released in 2004: Brotherhood of Steel was released for PlayStation 2 and XBOX in 2004. Thus, the company did not worry about the possibility of confusing fans. The project was even more different from the first games in the series: it was already a Diablo-like role-playing action game with a strictly linear progression, where there was no way to return to the locations already passed. Gamers and the press greeted the project with a very cool reception, so Interplay had to put plans for a sequel on hold again. 

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In parallel with the offshoots, Black Isle was developing a full-fledged third Fallout game codenamed Van Burren. The release was scheduled for 2003, and the game developers had a technical demo ready, but due to serious financial problems, they abandoned the development. Later, a brief summary of the game’s plot and a lot of technical documentation appeared on the Internet. This gave fans reason to try to recreate the “true Fallout 3” either on the sequel engine or on Unity.

Atomic Cars, No Semiconductors, and Endless 1950s

Today, most gamers associate Fallout with Bethesda, but the series was originally created by Interplay Entertainment. Founded in 1983, Interplay released Wastelands in 1988, a precursor to post-apocalyptic RPGs like Fallout.

The first Fallout game debuted in October 1997 under the title A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game. Set in an alternate history where the U.S. focused on atomic energy after WWII, the Fallout universe features nuclear-powered cars, power armor, and household robots. However, microchips were never developed, leaving vacuum-tube technology in use and the aesthetics of the 1950s intact well into the 21st century.

As fossil fuels run out, global tensions escalated, leading to nuclear war in 2077. Survivors retreated to Vault-Tec’s underground shelters. The story begins 100 years later, with the protagonist of Vault 13 venturing into the radioactive Wasteland to find a water chip, encountering raiders, mutants, and other dangers.

The term fallout refers to both radioactive debris and the consequences of catastrophic events—a fitting title given the game’s setting and its deep, flexible RPG system. Despite critical acclaim, Fallout didn’t meet Interplay’s sales expectations but garnered enough success to spawn a sequel in 1998.

Fallout 2 retained the original’s visuals and mechanics but refined its narrative and systems, earning a reputation as the best iteration among old-school RPG fans. While it was both critically and commercially successful, Interplay delayed a third installment to explore experimental projects.

Transition to Bethesda and three-dimensionality 

In 2004, Interplay was forced to file for bankruptcy and start selling assets. Bethesda Softworks acquired the rights to Fallout and launched the development of a full-fledged third part, which was released in October 2008 – exactly ten years after the sequel.

Fallout 3 returned the series to the single-player role-playing game format, but radically changed the gameplay itself. The game abandoned isometrics and a turn-based combat system in favor of real-time battles. The VATS system, which allowed you to pause the game, assess the situation, and shoot at a specific part of the body of visible opponents, was a kind of nod to the fans of the first two installments. The system calculated the chances of hitting and the damage received by the enemy. 

Fallout 3 became a kind of Rubicon for gamers. The orthodox fans of the Fallout series Amazon were disappointed with almost all aspects of the game, which they scornfully called “Oblivion with guns”. However, gamers who did not catch the first two installments had a very positive reaction. As of 2015, sales across all platforms exceeded 12 million copies. 

The chance to unite both cohorts of Fallout players came exactly two years later, when New Vegas (NV) was released. Bethesda wanted to concentrate on the development of TES V Skyrim, so it handed over the development of the new iteration to Obsidian Entertainment. So, to some extent, Fallout returned to old friends, as the OE team included many people who worked on the first installments. 

Throughout the game, the protagonist could align with one of several factions, unlocking a series of unique quests. Interestingly, the main antagonist, Benny, was voiced by Friends star Matthew Perry, marking his first and only experience working on a video game. New Vegas earned its reputation as the best in the series and one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

The game’s warm reception and strong sales seemed to signal the direction Bethesda should take for the franchise. However, Fallout 4 (released in 2015) introduced significant changes to its gameplay formula:

1. A voiced protagonist – Voice actors recorded a combined 26,000 lines for the male and female leads.
2. Dialogue wheel – Traditional dialogue options were replaced with a system offering tonal choices for responses.
3. Reduced sandbox and role-playing elements – Unlike earlier titles, where players could eliminate nearly every NPC and still complete the story, Fallout 4 imposed stricter limitations.
4. Settlement building – A city-building mechanic was introduced, allowing players to customize and manage their settlements, adding a simulation aspect to the game.

These changes marked a shift away from the series’ traditional strengths, polarizing fans of the franchise.

A Wrong Turn

In 2015, Bethesda released the first mobile Fallout with the subtitle Shelter about the difficult job of the head of one of the Vaults. The game was made on a decent mobile free-to-play project. 

Against the backdrop of the game-as-a-service concept, Todd Howard’s team took a shot at the first purely multiplayer Fallout 76. Interestingly, Interplay was also going to make an MMO in this universe, but litigation with the new owners of the franchise rights prevented it.
Fallout 76 was announced in May 2018 and released in the fall of the same year. It was one of the most disastrous releases of the year and the series in general. It was criticized for a huge number of technical errors, an inconvenient interface, weak AI of opponents, absurd restrictions, and generally boring gameplay. However, over time, the developers managed to reduce skepticism about the game: Fallout 76 currently has 76% of positive reviews on Steam.