Fallout: The nuclear-powered gaming brand capturing new audiences
A new update has been released for the nine-year-old video game Fallout 4, the first of its kind for the hit title since 2017.
It follows the roaring success of the Fallout TV show, which this month became the most-watched programme on Amazon Prime Video, overtaking both The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm.
Game publisher Bethesda issued free next-generation iterations for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, to boost graphics, frame rates and fix bugs.
PlayStation players are the biggest winners from the update, as the Xbox Series X already upscales graphics and framerates of older titles, while PC gaming giant AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution product achieves the same effect.
The release of the TV show has propelled Fallout game titles back into the Top Sellers category on the PC game platform Steam, with two Fallout games in the top 10 most-sold, with Fallout New Vegas even beating Call of Duty Warzone (which is free), at time of writing.
HBO’s smash hit, The Last Of Us, based on Sony Interactive Entertainment’s platinum intellectual property raised the bar for future game adaptations, but producers breathed a sigh of relief when pre-release reviews were universally positive.
The franchise is a jewel in the crown of publisher Bethesda, which was purchased by Xbox in a $7.5bn (£6bn) acquisition in 2021. Other popular titles include The Elder Scrolls and their latest release Starfield.
The Fallout story begins in 1997 when the first iteration was released by a North American publisher, Interplay, on Windows MS-DOS to critical acclaim and successful sales.
Fallout 2 followed just a year later (developed in a third of the time of its predecessor) to an equally positive reception and was deemed to be a worthy successor.
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Walton Goggins plays The Ghoul in the Fallout show. Pic: Amazon/Everett/Shutterstock
The award-winning move to 3D
The first-ever 3D version came in 2008 following the partial sale of the Fallout IP to Bethesda, in the form of Fallout 3.
It beat the sales records of both its predecessors in the first week alone, and received outstanding reviews across the board.
By the end of the following year, Fallout 3 had won multiple awards, and in 2012, was displayed in The Art of Video Games exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, earning the franchise a permanent place in the public’s cultural consciousness.
The notable spin-off Fallout: New Vegas was released swiftly afterwards, quickly cementing itself as a fan favourite. Following the release of the TV programme, New Vegas is currently out-selling Diablo IV, Elden Ring and Grand Theft Auto V on Steam.
Fallout 4 was released in 2015 to a mixed but largely positive reception, introducing some new features such as base-building and managed to please a majority of players.
The Brotherhood of Steel in the Fallout show. Pic: Amazon/Everett/Shutterstock
‘Historically bad’ and ‘pointless’ release
Then Bethesda published Fallout 76.
The first 3D multiplayer outing for Fallout ever released also turned out to be the most controversial.
It drew criticism from the press and players alike. Game-breaking bugs, an initial lack of content and poor design – coupled with a fanbase who were more accustomed to the single-player format, made it a victim to ‘”review-bombing”. Forbes called it a “historically bad launch”, while the Guardian branded it “pointless”.
Imperfect game launches can badly damage reputations, as exemplified by titles such as No Man’s Sky, Star Wars Battlefront II and Cyberpunk 2077. All three games have since largely rehabilitated themselves, though a stigmatic miasma remains.
A revival
Thanks to Prime Video’s TV adaptation the very same has now happened to Fallout 76.
The TV series has spurred players on to try it one more time, leading them to discover the updates, bug fixes and content releases that have greatly elevated Fallout 76 in the opinion of many fans, and led to positive recent player reviews.
At the time of writing, Fallout 76 occupies Steam’s eighth most-sold position, beating the award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3, EA Sports FC 24, and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III. At its peak this week the game boasted a million active players across all platforms, the highest number since its release.
It may come as a surprise to some to learn Fallout 5 is slated for seven to 10 years’ time, though some industry voices theorise Microsoft may use the series’ success to justify commissioning an intermediary instalment in the meantime to capitalise on the unexpectedly high levels of public interest.
Fallout show is proof of concept
Fallout’s TV success is proof of concept that companies can capitalise on (and sometimes rehabilitate), the public familiarity of their franchises – the box-office-hit Barbie movie being another example.
Games, like toys, will likely continue to spawn more cinematic adaptations, with The Last Of Us and Fallout receiving second seasons, while Bob the Builder, Polly Pocket and Barney The Dinosaur will all be immortalised in film.
Video games are arguably even easier to adapt for television given the narratives and universes are conveniently pre-existing, as opposed to the arduous job of inventing completely original storylines for Bob and his fellow construction workers.
Which game franchise gets the TV treatment next, however, remains to be seen, by players and non-gamers alike.
Spain has become the latest country to threaten a boycott of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel competes.
It is now the fifth broadcaster to say it will pull out over Israel’s participation, following recent announcements by the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland – but the first of the competition’s so-called “Big Five”, a group which also includes Britain, Germany, Italy and France.
These countries provide the biggest financial contributions to Eurovision, with participants automatically qualifying for the final round, and their withdrawal would increase the pressure on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event.
Ireland, represented by EMMY at Eurovision 2025, have also said they will not take part if Israel does. Pic: Reuters
The Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group, the competition’s governing body, said a decision on Israel’s participation is pending and that it has “taken note of the concerns expressed by several broadcasters”.
RTVE, the Spanish state broadcaster, announced the decision following a board vote on Tuesday.
The measure, proposed by president Jose Pablo Lopez, garnered 10 votes in favour, four against, and one abstention in the 15-member board, the broadcaster said in a statement.
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez has previously called for Israel to be banned from the competition, highlighting how Russia was expelled following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
At the time, the EBU said the decision reflected “concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute”.
Yuval Raphael represented Israel at this year’s event. Pic: Reuters
Recent editions of the contest, which has always expressed political neutrality, have involved demonstrations against Israel’s continued military action in Gaza – launched in response to the attack by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023, which left some 1,200 people dead.
Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack, finished second in this year’s competition, held in Basel, Switzerland, in May – but there were protests before and during her performance. Austrian singer JJ, who won, has also called for Israel’s exclusion in 2026.
Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest JJ from Austria. Pic: AP
Israel has denied accusations it is committing genocide and claimed its actions have been in self-defence against Hamas. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military action.
In a statement following the vote in Spain, contest director Martin Green said he understood the “concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”, and that consultation with members is ongoing “to gather views on how we manage participation and geopolitical tensions”.
Broadcasters have until mid-December to conform if they want to take part.
What have others said?
The Netherlands was represented by Claude in Switzerland. Pic: Reuters
Dutch broadcaster AvroTros said last week that it was taking a stance in response to the loss of life in Gaza, with the deaths of journalists there a factor in the decision.
Irish broadcaster RTE said the country was taking the same stance, saying it was “unconscionable” to take part given the “ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza”.
Following his win in May, singer JJ said it was “disappointing to see Israel still participating”, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. “I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel,” he added.
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The “potential impacts and consequences of either decision” are being assessed, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group said in a statament.
Next year’s Eurovision will be the 70th anniversary of the event, and will take place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna on 16 May.
Owen Cooper, the star of TV drama Adolescence, has made history becoming the youngest to win an outstanding supporting actor Emmy.
Cooper, who is 15, played Jamie Miller in the highly-acclaimed Netflix series set in Liverpool.
Adolescence, which dominated Netflix’s most-watched list earlier this year, centres on the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate.
It won a total of four Emmys.
Cooper was just 14 at the time of filming Adolescence and had never acted before.
Pic: Netflix
In his acceptance speech he said he was “nothing three years ago.”
“It’s just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here.
“So I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
The four-part mini-series provoked a strong response from viewers and prompted a conversation in the UK – and worldwide – around misogyny and online safety, with co-creator Jack Thorne joining Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a discussion on the matter at the end of March.
It was also widely praised for its filming techniques, with each episode captured in one continuous take.
Gyllenhaal’s gift
Cooper’s co-star Erin Doherty (who played Jamie’s therapist) won best supporting actress in a limited series, director Philip Barantini took home the Emmy for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, while writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham won for outstanding writing in the same category.
Before the awards ceremony, Cooper, from Warrington, had been surprised by his acting hero Jake Gyllenhaal, who walked in unannounced during an interview he was giving to press.
The pair hugged, and Gyllenhaal gave Cooper a small gift – a “lucky duck”.
“I made this movie [Brokeback Mountain], and I got nominated for an Academy Award, and a friend of mine sent me this before. Something just like this,” he said.
“It’s just a ‘Lucky Duck’ to keep in your pocket. To give you a little bit of luck.”
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