Josh Sawyer, the director of 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas, has addressed the TV show’s treatment of the location and game. While he says that he enjoyed the series overall, he also understands why some fans might be annoyed by the developments that the show reveals regarding New Vegas, the fate of the NCR and Shady Sands – all of which became a hotly debated topic in the fanbase before Bethesda’s Todd Howard had to clarify things. We will be discussing major spoilers for the TV show ahead.
We recommend reading the details on why fans felt strongly about the Fallout TV show’s alleged retconning of Fallout: New Vegas – something that was quickly debunked by Todd Howard. Basically, season 1 concludes on a final shot that shows the New Vegas skyline seemingly in ruins. Considering that the game took place in 2281 and the TV show takes place in 2296, a lot could happen in 15 years that we’ll likely only know the reality of in season 2.
Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer talked about the TV show in a recent interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, discussing how he feels about the show’s treatment of New Vegas:
“This might sound weird, but whatever happens with it, I don’t care. My attitude towards properties that I work on, and even characters that I create, is that I don’t own any of this stuff. It was never mine. And the thing that I made is what I made.”
Sawyer, who directed New Vegas when Bethesda outsourced the project to Obsidian Entertainment, says he feels like the Fallout IP was never his to begin with so he doesn’t feel strongly about what changes or developments were made on the TV show. Naturally, a lot of things could’ve happened in 15 years and those are ultimately creative decisions made by the showrunners and Bethesda. He goes on to say:
“There are things that I might watch and say, ‘I don’t think I would have taken this that way’, and then there are other things that I think are really cool. But it’s not my space, it was never my thing. I was a guest working in it. So I try to keep a level of distance between myself and the setting.”
Fallout season 2 was officially greenlit by Amazon shortly after the first season premiered. Make sure you read our predictions and theories for season 2.
Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun