I've always considered myself a fan of Fallout. It was one of the first RPG series that I ever played and while I've avoided the original isometric games for fear of melting my smooth console-gamer brain, I frequently find myself returning to the rest of the series for another hit of post-apocalyptic chaos.
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| (Image property of Amazon MGM Studios) |
As a result, I've been keeping an eye on Amazon's streaming adaptation of the series for a while now out of a mixture of genuine interest and morbid curiosity for how they'd screw it up. But, if you've been doing the rounds on the dystopian hellscape of the internet in the last week or so, you'd know they haven't actually done a half bad job.
Interestingly, as a result, the whole Fallout series is seeing some of its highest player numbers ever. In light of this profound success, I want to discuss what exactly this means for the series and what it can tell us about how big-name franchises can maintain their longevity even after decades.
A brief history of the end of the world
The original Fallout was an isometric RPG created by Interplay Productions way back in 1997. The game hit it big with the technically-minded PC audience of the time and cultivated strong enough sales to spawn a sequel, creatively titled, Fallout 2. Even today, these original games are held up as some of the most impressive and beloved RPGs ever. That is, assuming you can get them to run without crashing which, thirty years later, takes about as much effort and programming talent as the creation of the games themselves.
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| (Image property of Bethesda Softworks) |
However, Interplay was not long for this world and after a few attempts to milk the goodwill surrounding Fallout with the cult classic Fallout: Tactics and the pile of cat sick in a paper bag Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Interplay was forced into declaring bankruptcy. Well, practically speaking, they had to declare bankruptcy several times but that's a story for another day.
Thankfully for Fallout, one of the vultures picking at Interplay's corpse was Bethesda, known at the time for the venerable Elder Scrolls RPG series, who managed to acquire the rights for Fallout in 2007. Since then, Bethesda has been developing the bulk of the Fallout series, first with Fallout 3, which brought the series into first-person and later with Fallout 4 which launched it into the 8th generation of consoles. These games were seen as well-made, if slightly shallower successors to the Interplay originals.
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| (Image property of Bethesda Softworks) |
The only exception to this rule was Fallout: New Vegas, developed by Obsidian under Bethesda's supervision, which sought to expand on the foundation of Fallout 3 to create a deeper, more decision-driven experience in a new setting. In this, Obsidian seemed to knock it out of the park as, even today, many Fallout fans still hold up New Vegas as the peak of the series and, oh boy, they can't wait to unconsensually tell you all about why.
In recent years, the closest thing that Fallout has had to a main entry from Bethesda has been the much-maligned Fallout 76. This was Bethesda's attempt at making a live service Fallout game because the thought of combining the beloved IP with the lucrative live service model was enough to bring Bethesda shareholders to an earth-shattering orgasm. However, much like movie studios trying to market musicals nowadays, Bethesda was very cagey about admitting it was a live service, leading to various accusations being made about false advertising. In case that wasn't enough, the game's performance was also game-breakingly poor, meaning Bethesda has had to spend the last 6 years trying to fix it in less of a labour of love and more a labour of moral obligation.
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| (Image property of Bethesda Softworks) |
Beyond a couple of minor side games and mobile titles, though, this was the landscape into which the Fallout TV series was birthed. In many ways, the show represents simply another way that Fallout has continued to reinvent itself over the years. Starting as an isometric PC RPG before evolving into 3D action RPGs and eventually into a live service and a TV show, the Fallout series has really run the gamete of mediums and genres. As such, it is worth examining how exactly it has managed to survive in the way that it has and what it can tell us about the longevity of franchises like it.
"But you have heard of me..."
Observing the massive growth in player numbers that the Fallout series has experienced because of the new show has given me pause for thought. The most recent game in the series is 6 years old and was famously torn apart like a micro-pig in the lion enclosure by both the press and the public upon its release. Beyond that, the last game with a positive reception was Fallout 4 in 2015, almost ten years ago.
In many ways, to me, it's somewhat surprising that Fallout still has the legs to not only draw an audience to the Amazon series but also to provide enough appeal to people for them to actively seek out older titles.
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| (Image property of Bethesda Softworks) |
If I had to explain it, I would say that it comes down to memorability While the show has been well received in its own right, its biggest achievement is arguably not about quality, but about reminding people of the pre-existing games that they loved so that they go back to playing them. The shared elements between the show and the games have sparked curiosity and reminiscing that has driven people back to the series, regardless of the quality of the most recent entry or how long it has been. The lesson here is that the key to keeping a franchise alive is to be memorable first and foremost.
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| (Image property of Bethesda Softworks) |
Remember that scene in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie where Jack Sparrow is being arrested by the British officer? The officer throws a barb his way by saying, "You are by far the worst pirate I've ever heard of." However, rather than taking offence, Sparrow simply responds, "But you have heard of me." To my mind, this is emblematic of how popular franchises survive. Now, I'm not saying here that Fallout is a bad series, on the contrary, I've already said that I'm a fan, but what matters here is the idea that quality is not the only determinate factor for longevity.
Most well-known series in video games have had sub-par entries. Halo 5, Gears of War: Judgement, Resident Evil 6 and about half of the Sonic the Hedgehog games are all lambasted for failing to live up to their colossal legacies, and yet, all of their franchises continue. Why? To my mind, it comes down to memorability. Even a bad game in a series can help to keep a franchise at the forefront of players' minds.
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| (Image property of Rocksteady Studios and Warner Bros. Games) |
Another franchise that has seen a revival recently is the Batman: Arkham series. After Rocksteady shat the bed with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, the player numbers for 2015's Batman: Arkham Knight blew up. This wasn't a coordinated act of protest against Suicide Squad or anything like that. Rather, it was a sign that, even though the game failed at almost everything else, Suicide Squad still served to remind people of the dormant Arkham series and what made it so good. Once people were reminded of the series, many were happy to flock back to it.
This example runs parallel to Fallout. While, unlike Suicide Squad, the Fallout show was actually good, they achieved the same objective of renewing the profile for their franchises so that they remain in the public eye. So long as a franchise can keep itself in the public eye, there is always the possibility for more entries. Despite being a fan of the series, I don't like every Fallout game. I find Fallout 3 quite dull and shallow and Fallout 76 was a disaster. What I do enjoy though is the world, its factions, its characters and the unique ideas on display. Because of that, Fallout will always stay alive with me and even if new entries are bad, so long as they remind me of those elements that I love, I will still return to it.
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| (Image property of Bethesda Softworks) |
Conclusion
The lesson to be learnt from Fallout as a series and from the show's success is that maintaining a popular franchise is about more than just making good games. The core of all franchises is memorability. As long as your games have memorable mechanics, worlds or characters, the series can weather a few stormy entries because all it takes is for something to come along and remind you of what you already loved.
Of course, it helps when new entries are good. I'm sure Fallout's recent boom wouldn't have been as pronounced if the show had stank to high heaven but, to some extent, as long as the series is in the cultural zeitgeist, it still stands a chance of surviving. In this sense, what we can take away from Fallout is that games series are like rivers, as long as a stable current is flowing through them, they will never truly stagnate and die out.
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