Bethesda developer responds, as Fallout fans say TV show contradicts canon
Fallout fans are scratching their heads over a plot point mentioned in the new hit TV show's sixth episode — which some say contradicts the game series' established lore.
Bethesda director Todd Howard has previously said the Fallout TV show is canon — and set after the events of the games released so far so as not to interfere.
But the TV show's sixth episode includes a set date for something that happened previously which gets in the way of all that. One final spoiler warning: details of what that is lie below.
Fallout The World Of Featurette Prime Video Delving into the world of Fallout featurette.Watch on YouTubeAs seen in the Fallout TV show's trailer, released several weeks' back, the New California Republic (NCR) capital Shady Sands has been destroyed in a nuclear blast.
The show's sixth episode dates this event to 2277 — which fans say contradicts the capital being referenced in subsequent games, and what we know of what the NCR forces were up to at the time (fighting the First Battle of Hoover Dam against Caesar's Legion, according to Fallout: New Vegas).
Writing on social media platform X, Bethesda studio design director Emil Pagliarulo clarified the exact timeline for the Fallout universe, with the Fallout TV show set in 2296. But this only serves to highlight the contradiction over the NCR further — as New Vegas is placed in 2281, referencing Sandy Shores some four years after the TV series says it was nuked.
Seen it come up a couple of times, so here's a helpful little Fallout timeline!
* Bombs drop — 2077
* Fallout 76 — 2102
* Fallout 1 – 2161
* Fallout Tactics — 2197
* Fallout 2 – 2241
* Fallout 3 – 2277
* Fallout: New Vegas – 2281
* Fallout 4 – 2287
* Fallout TV show – 2296
While Pagliarulo's inclusion of New Vegas implies Bethesda does indeed see
