“When I think about our fan base, I remember the early days when we first announced Fallout 3. We got a lot of hate,” said former Bethesda artist Jonah Lobe.
“A lot of the older players felt they were protecting the franchise. It’s definitely understandable since the IP is so unique and special. Some were interpreted as hate mail and even death threats, leading Bethesda to hire its first security guards. ”He continued, “Yes. It’s definitely a passionate fan base.
“All kidding aside, Fallout fans really care about Fallout. They understand that the world of Fallout is very special, and that the experience of playing Fallout, with its grit, humor, choices, and unique world-building, is unlike any other. “Most Fallout fans I meet these days say they were introduced to the franchise through Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
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As Lobe hinted, the community that has grown up around the Fallout series is as complex and interesting as any other large fandom you can think of today. This week, with the arrival of Amazon’s Fallout TV show, it could be said to have hit an all-time high, at least in terms of mainstream perception. Don’t misunderstand. The series hasn’t been a niche player for a long time, but this latest bout of Fallout mania may be its biggest yet.
So what will your community look and feel like when the wave reaches its peak? Well, as you might expect with an entity this large, it depends on who you ask.
Lobe emphasizes that Fallout fans today largely belong to one of two communities, depending on when they first accessed the series. “Fallout 3 and 4 bridged the gap between old-school PC gamers who played games on CD-ROM in the ’90s (of which I was one) and the millions of new players who discovered them on Steam or consoles. ” he says.
Devan ‘Lady Devan’ McCarthy, who worked as a hugely popular community manager for Fallout 76 before being fired by Microsoft earlier this year, says the community comprised of these diverse demographics is “stronger than it’s ever been.” As a Fallout content creator, she adds, “There’s no shortage of amazing mods, fan art, cosplay, podcasts, roleplay groups, fanfiction, and everything in between.” gopher In his assessment, the community “hasn’t stopped improving and is only going from strength to strength,” especially when it comes to modding.
Nikki, a content creator we work with tunnel snake idiot, despite looking at things from a slightly different angle than McCarthy, they both share similar views. “I think this is probably one of the best times for the community,” she said. “I mean, as a creator, I [there’s a] The perspective is also different because we are looking at engagement, numbers, metrics, etc. But after Fallout 76 came out, there seemed to be more investment in the franchise again.
“We have a very loyal fan base. [for] 76′, she explains. [things] It’s gotten quiet and many of us have noticed less engagement and activity on our Discord servers. So this is one of the best times to be a part of the community with everything that’s happening this year.”
Although he did not receive as much attention or praise as many of his peers, Independent Fallout Wiki, in his opinion, says 76 still shows how good a community can be when it’s at its best. “The community is generally friendly and helpful to newcomers, providing all kinds of equipment that can help you in the early stages of your character,” he explains.
Among other examples of this, the Wiki team and others I spoke with mentioned the charity Fallout For Hope and Fallout New Vegas day gatherings in Goodsprings, Nevada. Regarding the latter, McCarthy says: “What makes this event stand out is that it wasn’t hosted by Bethesda Game Studios.
“When I worked as a community manager for Fallout, we sent Pioneer Saloon freebies to attendees as gifts. But other than that, the entire event was created by the fans, for the fans. The absence of a studio in production and organization makes the event very pure in a way that there is no alternative motivation in terms of advertising or marketing, it is purely for the fun and love of the franchise and because of that fans can do much more with it. .”
An interesting example of this comes from one of the supervisors of the independent Fallout Wiki named Blubbin. “My friend John performed a fire dance show at the end of each night,” he said of last year’s New Vegas day gathering. “He got a ton of support from everyone there and drew a big crowd, even though his actions had nothing to do with Fallout. “People wanted to show their support for this community member and his passion, and I think that’s a really good thing.”
That said, as numerous members of the team that runs the public Discord server dedicated to the series have said, things aren’t always bright for the Fallout fandom, as you might expect given its size. “The Fallout community is incredibly diverse.” “Future-Tec” member Rimuru_mayhem says: This is an appropriate way for teams to refer to their community-focused support staff. “On one hand you have lovely people, and on the other you have decadent bootclickers who completely miss the point of the game.
“An example of the latter is the Fallout Discord server I joined a while ago, which was full of Legion and Enclave fanboys and actual Nazis. Naturally, it was also heavily homophobic and transphobic. I think it’s hard to say what the Fallout community is like. Because people still vary widely in terms of what they gain from this community and their personal beliefs. “I’m tentatively hoping that the community will become much more progressive, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to weed out people who have zero media literacy.”
Another member of the team, Solomon742, emphasizes that while groups like this exist and many members of the fandom are concerned about their existence, he thinks it’s just “a consequence of having a large community.” “These people are easy to avoid or ignore,” he says. “Generally, [the community] “It is the power of positivity.” Meanwhile, Narratorjack, another Wiki team member, says that in his estimation the community is “better than it was in the past.” “There are still problematic characters sometimes, but fanboyism, gatekeeping and similar issues are less of a problem than they used to be,” she argues.
Thankfully, McCarthy and Lobe, former Bethesda employees I interviewed, framed their current experiences with the fandom in terms that seemed to reflect this assessment. “The relationship with the community has been very enjoyable,” says the latter. “Most of the people who criticized the game have moved on, leaving behind stubborn and steadfast troops. These people celebrate history, knowledge, developers, and attention to detail. Of course, this all gets tripled in the modding community. Their efforts ensured that the game (and its spirit) lived on long after its release.”
So, with all that said about the state of the Fallout community, what are people thinking about the TV show’s release?
“The launch of the TV show opens so many doors to new audiences, and it’s really exciting to think about a whole new generation of fans experiencing the strange and whimsical world of Fallout for the first time,” McCarthy said. “I can’t wait to see the live stream of the first play. There is something truly amazing. [in seeing] It’s the first time someone has left the Vault. I’m really looking forward to future cosplays and prop replicas! The community is very warm and creative. I really hope the TV show brings even more new faces and creative minds.”
“I hope it lasts a long time. I want more seasons. That would be great,” Tunnelsnakesfool said. She added that from a Fallout content creator’s perspective, the show represents a slightly different challenge. She said, “It’s very new to cover a show that’s part of this franchise, as if it’s still brand new, and we’re all going to be trying out for ourselves how to do that.”
In addition to wanting to know how the show will end, the Fallout community members I interviewed had a variety of opinions on where the series stands gaming-wise after Fallouts 4 and ’76, with thoughts ranging from satisfied to just general. Mild worry. However, as many have hinted, the actual feelings among fans when Fallout 5 launches will largely depend on how The Elder Scrolls 6 is received, assuming it arrives first, as is highly anticipated.
“I think Bethesda could really make it through the old ‘win.’ [its] This is the next release,” says Gopher. “I am sure they will not enjoy the negative reviews they have received over the past few years. “No matter what people say, everyone wants people to love what they make.” He added that he’s pretty optimistic about where Fallout is right now. “I didn’t like the multiplayer aspect of Fallout 76, but there have been signs that Bethesda has abandoned some of the design changes, so I’m actually very hopeful. [from Fallout 4] – [the] For example, I didn’t like the voice acting of the main character. I think Bethesda knows what the fanbase wants, and that’s half the battle. The only question on my mind is: [it] “I’ll deliver it.”
Interestingly, Tunnelsnakesfool said we could potentially see a reality where Fallout 5 actually becomes a very different kind of Bethesda test than The Elder Scrolls 6. “Pete Hines just retired. I have a feeling Todd will retire after the next Elder Scrolls. [game]. I don’t see him staying for another five or six years. “I think he’s in his mid-50s, and he’s rich.” So she suggests that if that happens, the next Fallout game will be more like ‘Can Bethesda do it without Pete and Todd?’ and it will be more [a prove it moment] Above all, for the next generation of Bethesda.”
Until then, the community seems eager to get as much Fallout as possible as we move further and further away from the early days of Fallout 3 that Lobe mentioned. For some people I’ve talked to, it’s more of a TV show style media, for others it’s more of a cartoon, and to some extent, a spin-off game. A game that can get closer to New Vegas in terms of broad acceptance would be desirable. 76, even if it does not directly reflect the former in terms of concept.
So there’s definitely a lot of things fans would like to see or try in Fallout in the future, and now that it’s finally made its big leap to the big screen. However, there is one idea that Blubbin from the Fallout Wiki suggested after discussing ideas for spinoff games across various genres, and I think we can all agree that Bethesda should make it happen.
“I’m more attached to the world than I am to the gameplay in particular,” he said. “Basically what I’m saying is give me a Fallout Kart.”