Source: Captured by the author in Fallout 76
“War never changes.” — Literally every Fallout game.
Fallout has one of the richest histories in the entire world of gaming. The legacy behind this franchise stretches back more than twenty years, and it’s arguably the top tier of post-apocalyptic gaming.
The main series is comprised of four core iterations, two ‘spin-offs’, and a further four minor titles. There are few games that boast the lifespan of the Fallout franchise, which has survived across five generations of gaming.
It’s a massively popular series, with millions of die-hard fans supporting it from all around the world. There’s a rich and diverse fandom, a gargantuan collector base, and a huge community of modders.
There’s also a vast assortment of people who relentlessly try and guess where the next big Fallout title will be set. Commonly, you’ll hear mention of a game taking place in the United Kingdom, China, or even Russia.
Of course, nothing is impossible in the wide world of gaming, but I’m here to tell you why Fallout will never, ever leave the United States.
The American Dream
So, you’re a part of the crowd that believes Fallout can exist somewhere other than the United States? Cute.
I’m sorry, but I’m about to ‘spit some truth’ (as the kids say) and break those dreams you have. It’s an irrefutable fact: Fallout must be set within the United States.
Let’s examine the biggest and most important piece of information.
By the time The Great War rolled around and the bombs were preparing to fall across the world, very few nations remained. They were there to some extent, but the majority had fallen to civil wars, a total lack of resources, or invasion.
Before America and China were at each other’s geographical throats, there was an enormous battle that laid waste to the majority of the world. It lasted more than twenty years, and saw the untold decimation of many once-great nations.
The key point we need to take away from the ‘Resource Wars’ is that Europe, Africa, and most of the Middle-East was hopelessly weakened. The oil in the Middle-East promptly dried up around 2060, and the ‘European Commonwealth’ dissolved into a mass of civil wars.
Of course, America was mostly thriving while all this was happening, owing to the expansive oil reserves retained in-country. There was plenty of scientific innovation occuring in the United States, and while the rest of the world was bickering endlessly, America pushed onwards.
As the planet became shrouded by clouds of smoke and flame, America engineered solutions to ongoing resource and energy crises. They became, without a doubt, the most powerful and formidable force on the planet.
So, no Middle-East, very little in the European theatre, and Africa has been plundered. You need to take them off your list.
Good morning, Vault-Tec calling!
If there’s one good thing that came out of the Resource Wars, it was the foundation of Vault-Tec. If you’ve played a Fallout title, you’ll definitely know the name, and if you don’t… Well, that’s genuinely a concern.
Vault-Tec serves as the background to the entire Fallout franchise, as it was this company that built the iconic vaults, all across America. While they weren’t entirely kindhearted and wholesome, they did save several thousand U.S. citizens when the bombs fell.
Throughout the entire Fallout franchise, all but one of the main playable characters exists because of a vault. In Fallout: New Vegas, we play as a ‘Courier’, whose background isn’t entirely clear, but it’s never stated they’re a ‘vault-dweller’.
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Without Vault-Tec, we wouldn’t have any of the storylines we’ve played, we’d be missing dozens of explorable areas, and stacks of technology. Vault-Tec were also responsible for the operation of Future-Tec, a revolutionary and innovative branch of the company.
This branch was responsible for the creation of world-changing technology, such as the G.E.C.K. Simply put, this is a device that can make the post-apocalyptic wasteland entirely liveable again.
And what’s the kicker here?
Vault-Tec only existed in the United States. So, suck on that.
Good old American industry
Vault-Tec wasn’t the only organisation that changed the face of the United States. There were many other companies involved in the engineering race that took place in the mid-to-late twenty-first century.
Firstly, there was RobCo, founded by the eccentric Robert House, a technological genius. This company created the Pip-Boy, which you might have heard of.
They also built various robots, such as the Protectron, Eyebot, Assaultron, and Sentry Bot. These play the roles of formidable enemies throughout the Fallout franchise, and we’ve all done battle with them.
How about Nuka Cola? This iconic franchise serves as the most recognisable brand in Fallout history, with its beverages and bottlecaps quite literally littering the wasteland.
Have you heard of West-Tek? This organisation is best known for the creation of the power armour chassis that helped the United States gain an advantageous footing in The Great War.
However, West-Tek also created something known as the FEV, which serves an even more important function in the world of Fallout.
And guess what?
They’re all American-only companies, with no presence outside of the United States.
You can’t have an apocalypse without monsters
West-Tek were a very deceptive and mysterious organisation, who experimented in many dangerous areas.
They’re responsible for the creation of the FEV, otherwise known as the Forced Evolutionary Virus. Now, I’m going to assume you’ve heard of this, as it’s featured in some way in every single Fallout title in history.
The FEV mutates organic matter on contact, resulting in some of the grotesque creations we’ve seen in Fallout over the years. It’s at the foundation of the race of Super Mutants, and is the origin story behind almost every mutated creature in the wasteland.
It’s much more prevalent in Fallout 76, with the player constantly rubbing up against creatures like the Snallygaster and Grafton Monster. These are perfect examples of the disastrous capabilities of the FEV.
Thankfully, the FEV never left the United States, meaning these frightening creatures remained All American.
That would make a Fallout based in another country a much quieter experience.
You don’t need any more evidence
When the bombs fell in 2077 and the world changed forever, the United States was the only country at least somewhat prepared for it. There’s an abundance of futuristic (and retro) weaponry, armour, and of course, survivors, even two centuries later.
America made fusion and fission power commonplace, meaning many systems still function, hundreds of years after the end. The country boasted legions of robots, super longlife food and beverages, and capable, equipped bunkers.
There is simply no basis upon which a Fallout title could be set within another country. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a post-apocalyptic title set elsewhere, it just can’t be Fallout.
Have you heard of Metro? Maybe you should give that a go.
In my opinion, the next Fallout title could be set somewhere like New York City, although it is a little… Nukey. The other options include areas like Los Angeles, New Orleans, or Seattle.
Fallout 5 has to be set in the United States, period.
