When did Fallout stop being a dark satire? When did a studio known best for its single-player RPGs move to stand front and center in an ongoing conversation about the ethics of microtransactions? The ruins of Hiroshima, as shown in Fallout 2's opening cinematic (source: Fallout Wiki) The Destroyer of Worlds The consensus from longtime fans was that the Fallout series had lost its heart. Aside from the corporate mismanagement, the online-only sandbox was a shocking change from a series known for its story mechanics and characters. Most recently, Kotaku reported on the worrying allegations of former employees: unpaid overtime, long periods of crunch, and gaslighting by management. The newest title, Fallout 76, was the subject of controversy after controversy after controversy after controversy in the weeks following its disastrous release. But when the IP changed hands between Black Isle Studios and Obsidian Entertainment to Bethesda Softworks (developer of the Doom, Dishonored, and the Elder Scrolls series), the shift from asymmetric RPG to combat-heavy FPS was merely one of the many divisive changes to longtime fans. The series is even getting its own Amazon show. Since 1997, its five sequels have been (mostly) met with critical acclaim and financial success ( Fallout 4, for example, made $750m on launch day). First released a quarter of a century ago, Fallout’s commentary on American exceptionalism and unchecked capitalism feels as timely as ever. Picking up nearly one hundred years after the collapse of an Atomic Age society, where the final conflict for Earth’s dwindling resources resulted in nuclear annihilation, Fallout has players leaving the protection of their Vault to explore the harsh wasteland outside. Among its best offerings is a video game that has launched a wildly successful franchise: Fallout. In times like these, I turn to post-apocalyptic stories, perhaps as a reminder that things can always be worse. For many Americans, it feels like the world is ending. Late-stage capitalism has left many of us jobless and directionless. in a limited-edition Fallout 4 lithograph (source: Bethesda)Ī Supreme Court Justice entertains upending rights to contraception and same-sex marriage.
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