Amazon's Fallout series won't retell Fallout 3 or 4, Bethesda confirms

On the whole, film and TV adaptations of video games don’t have the best reputation - but I think that could be changing. HBO’s take on The Last of Us looks very promising indeed, plus Sonic The Hedgehog 2 went on to become the most successful video game adaption of all time earlier this year. With God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, and Twisted Metal all primed for adaptation, we can only hope that this is the start of something new.

Another project that’s on the way is Amazon’s upcoming Fallout TV series. Created by Westworld showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, Fallout received its first teaser back in October. The behind-the-scenes featurette didn’t give much away but we did see three Vault dwellers in Vault 33 jumpsuits. What we didn’t know up until now is whether the series would adapt a pre-existing storyline or create a new one but Bethesda boss Todd Howard has now answered that very question.

Check out the incredible fan-made Fallout London mod below.

As reported by PC Gamer, Todd Howard recently sat down with podcaster Lex Fridmen and the duo discussed the upcoming Fallout series. Howard confirmed that “it’s not retelling a game story”. He went on to explain, “It's basically an area of the map, let's tell a story here that fits in the world that we have built. It doesn't break any of the rules, it can reference things in the games, but isn't a retelling of the games. It exists in the same world but is its own unique thing.” That should keep us on our toes from week to week.

It’s not a total surprise. We surmised from the previous teaser that this may be the case as Vault 33 hasn’t been used in any of the Fallout games. Still, we now have word from the horse's mouth. Howard went on to reveal that he’s been eager to get a Fallout adaptation made for quite some time.

Fallout’s cast includes Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Xelia Mendes-Jones (Wheel Of Time), Aaron Moten (Disjointed), Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), and Walton Goggins (Ant Man And The Wasp). There’s no release date just yet, but it’s estimated that the show will land in mid or late 2023.