The Fallout TV Show Has Just Turned Its Back On The Video Games In One Major Way

Fallout is one of the most successful video game adaptations in recent history, but the series is clearly following a different path from the games that gave it life. In the past, video game adaptations have struggled to effectively capture the spirit of their source material by either missing the point entirely or struggling to bring over expansive parts of a game in a more limited format.

However, the TV format seems to be a more effective medium for exploring the world of a game and adequately building on the foundations that are already in place. Fallout is a perfect example of this, with the series picking up on a story and world that has already been built across several mainline games and various additions.

But there is a case to be made for adaptations to take more creative liberties with the property and make changes that could dramatically improve the storytelling. Of course, TV is a format that is designed for storytelling, while video games split that focus with designing mechanics and plot beats that will give the player the most fun and engagement as they interact and move the story forward.

The Fallout TV Show Stuck Close To The Source Material In Season 1

With all of that said, Fallout season 1 appeared to be a largely faithful adaptation of the larger franchise. Of course, it benefits from the vastness of the Wasteland that is the continental US, and the fact that well over 100 vaults exist spread across North America. So, each game could focus on a new location and drill into specific parts of the story.

However, with the TV show format, audiences demand more answers regarding how the situation evolved, and hope for some sort of resolution as the show develops. This means the series needs to explore not just a single vault and the surrounding area, but it also introduces flashbacks to before the nuclear fallout, and builds the story of how this new world came to be.

But, in season 1, it didn't seem like there were many overt contradictions or changes from the source material in establishing this story. Vault-Tec remained a prominent figure in the past and present, and the Vaults were revealed to be experiments that were often privately owned and created for the wealthier class of people to outlive the devastation of a global war.

Fallout Season 2 Introduced A New Backstory For Super Mutants

However, while the games have primarily been set in the time after the wars, there have been details that were pieced together by curious adventurers. Such as the fact that the Forced Evolutionary Virus was developed by West Tek. From there, the virus has been adapted and employed in various ways, leading to the creation of creatures like the Deathclaws and even the Super Mutants.

Meanwhile, opposing factions like the Enclave had a more puritanical approach, and they had no desire to enhance or alter human physiology. In fact, they were disgusted by mutations, and they actively sought to destroy them. But the TV show appears to take a different approach regarding these two companies and the Super Mutants.

In Fallout season 2, episode 6, the Super Mutant reveals that the Enclave was responsible for creating the Super Mutants, which likely means they created FEV. There is no mention of West Tek, and while the Enclave now appears to be at odds with their creations, they are actually the originators who brought these creatures into the world.

Siggi Wilzig's Prominent Role In Season 1 Proves The Show Was Always Moving Towards A Different Story

Fallout season 2 may canonically change the game when it comes to the larger franchise, but season 1 sowed the seeds for this change to happen. In the world of the games, the Enclave is believed to be extinct after a series of encounters that happened in Fallout 2 and Fallout 3. But the series is bringing them back in a big way.

Siggi Wilzig, who played a prominent role in transporting cold fusion through the Wasteland in season 1, was shown to be a former scientist within the Enclave. As such, he may well be responsible for the creation of FEV, and chose to defect because of the awful ways that they were using the compound in order to try and take more control of the Wasteland.

The writers behind the series likely had some idea of where the story was heading next and a greater understanding of who Siggi is in the world of the show, which means this plan to alter the origin of the Super Mutants was already in place in season 1. Which means the idea of the Enclave being a new and prominent antagonist in the series was also probably in place.

Ultimately, the change is minor, and it makes the narrative flow more smoothly, getting rid of a company like West Tek and spotlighting the Enclave instead. So, it makes sense for Fallout to alter the canon in order to streamline the story and create something compelling that can be carried into future seasons as a war between the Super Mutants and the Enclave develops further.