Fallout Game Director Gives Cautious Response To Future Adaptations After Prime Video Show

Summary

• Todd Howard cautions against further Bethesda game adaptations after
  Fallout
  , but won’t entirely rule out the possibility.
• Adapting popular video game series like
  Fallout
  for TV is tricky, but the Prime Video show seems to have gotten it right so far as evidenced by its strong reviews.
• With
  The Last of Us
  and
  Twisted Metal
  also finding success on the small screen, the Golden Age of video game adaptations on TV looks to be kicking off.

Fallout co-executive producer and game director Todd Howard has given his views on the possibility of future Bethesda Game Studios adaptations. Considered one of the greatest video game series of all time, the Fallout franchise debuted in 1997 with the titular game, developed by Interplay, which took the form of a post-apocalyptic role-playing video game. Bethesda produced the series starting with 2008’s Fallout 3, and Howard, who directed Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, signed on to executive produce the Fallout TV adaptation, alongside Jonathan Nolan and his wife and creative partner Lisa Joy.

Howard, who is also a key producer at Bethesda, sat down with IGN to discuss his experience with the Fallout TV show so far, and his views on whether more of Bethesda’s library of games, including the enormously popular Elder Scrolls series, might also be adapted, for the big or small screen. Howard revealed that his experience making the show was “one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve ever done,” but also remained tight-lipped on the prospect of further adaptations. Check out what Howard had to say below:

You never know if someone’s gunna click. But I think this really came out of, “We think things are aligning to do a high-quality job.” [Fallout] wasn’t forced. It was kind of a natural relationship and “Hey, this sounds really cool.” As opposed to, “We should have a show,” right? It never came from that. There’s nothing [else] in the works. Everybody asks, like, about Elder Scrolls, and I keep saying no also. And I would approach those – I’ll probably say no. I can’t predict the future, but [Fallout] has been one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve ever done, and we’re just kind of over the moon, everybody in the studio with seeing it this way.

Will Fallout Spark A Slew Of Video Game Adaptations?

“Creating any TV show successfully is difficult, but adapting already established (and popular) source material is even more tricky, so it’s natural there would be trepidation.”

Live-action video game adaptations are so often a mixed bag, and have not fared well historically, with shows like Resident Evil, and movies like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Doom all flopping. However, following the recent positive reviews of The Last Of Us, as well as the success of such movies as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of video game adaptations, as well as a surge in quality too. However, Howard’s reservations are understandable, and all the different elements will need to come together perfectly for further adaptations to be viable.

Creating any TV show successfully is difficult, but adapting already established and popular source material is even more tricky, so it’s natural there would be trepidation. Video game adaptations face a number of risks, as if one sticks too rigidly to the source material, they risk becoming redundant. But if they deviate too much from it, they risk upsetting legacy fans, making it a difficult balancing act, but one that Fallout seems to have gotten right so far.

If the show is a big hit for Prime Video, it could usher in a slew of small screen video game adaptations, and this could mark a Golden Age for the medium. It will be interesting to see how the show develops, and whether it could become a long-term success, and so far the reviews for Fallout have been unanimously positive. The show is expected to develop a legacy as one of the greatest video game adaptations of all-time, and there is no doubt Fallout is appealing to both new and existing fans in the right way.

The entirety of

Fallout

season 1 is available to stream on Prime Video now.

Source: IGN