Fallout showrunners talk about the show's take on New Vegas: 'The idea that the wasteland stays as it is decade-to-decade is preposterous to us'

I will begin by stating the obvious: There are going to be spoilers about the Fallout television show on Amazon. Much like being in the neighborhood when a nuclear blast goes off, you can either avert your eyes or suffer the consequences.

The Fallout series on Amazon is a hit, but not everyone is entirely happy with it. I am of course talking about lore nerds who take issue with the game's handling of New Vegas. Todd Howard himself shot down fan theories that Bethesda was attempting to use the show to retcon Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas from official existence, but as Chris Livingston noted in his own deep-dive debunkification of those theories, there were still questions left unanswered.

And seriously, this is where the spoilers begin.

The Fallout series ends with a shot of the city of New Vegas in a dire state: No neon lights or flashing signs, debris in the streets, and broken gates at the walls. It's a startling contrast to the bright, lively city that appeared in Fallout: New Vegas. So if New Vegas isn't being retconned, then what happened?

Chris' theory, simply put, is that shit happened, and apparently that's pretty much the case.

«All we really want the audience to know is that things have happened, so that there isn't an expectation that we pick the show up in season two, following one of the myriad canon endings that depend on your choices when you play [Fallout: New Vegas],» showrunner Graham Wagner said in an interview with GQ (via Eurogamer).

«We really wanted to imply, guys, the world has progressed, and the idea that the wasteland stays as it is decade-to-decade is preposterous to us. It’s just a place [of] constant tragedy, events, horrors—here's a constant churn of trauma. We're definitely implying more has occurred.»

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That's an interesting perspective, because while I would never think to contradict the people actually making the Fallout show, I feel