Fallout Will Never Be Set Outside America, and Here’s Why

It looks like the popularity of Fallout: London, an expansive fan-made mod, isn’t enough for Bethesda Game Studios to consider expanding the series to places outside the United States.

According to Todd Howard, Fallout will remain a red, white, and blue thing and he’s got a perfectly good reason behind its exclusivity.

In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, the longtime Bethesda executive explains that part of “the Fallout shtick” is what he described as the “Americana naivete.”

While he didn’t fully go into detail about what he meant, it doesn’t take a nuclear scientist to explain it. The concept of Fallout is a political, self-aware satire of the idea of nuclear warfare happening in the United States. Thus, it makes perfect sense why Fallout will remain “predominantly” in the United States.

Howard also adds that another reason why Fallout will be set exclusively in America is to keep the mystery. He compares it to the demand from Elder Scrolls fans to expand the series to include what he describes as “mysterious lands”. But, if you ask the 54-year-old Howard video game designer, he’ll tell you this: “the worst thing you can do to mysterious lands is to remove the mystery. Keep the mysterious lands mysterious.”

As of the moment of writing, the Fallout series has taken players and viewers alike to the post-apocalyptic versions of California (Fallout 1 and Fallout 2), Washington, D.C. (Fallout 3), Boston (Fallout 4), West Virginia (Fallout 76), and Los Angeles (Fallout Season 1).

Fallout 5 could explore other areas in the United States. However, based on what Howard just said, don’t expect to see the fifth mainline entry go overseas.

Based on actual confirmed information, Fallout 5 might not be released this decade. But, the latest word on the grapevine is that Microsoft is looking to fast-track its development after seeing the increased demand for the franchise.

Fallout is currently undergoing a massive resurgence. This is due to the popularity of the live-action adaptation on Prime Video. Season 1 of the Fallout TV series premiered on April 10. Critics and audiences loved the series. As a result of its success, Bethesda and Prime Video are already working on a second season.

In the meantime, Fallout fans can enjoy the free next-gen update for Fallout 4 on all platforms.