A ‘Fallout’ Reality Competition Show Is a Terrible Idea — Here's Why

If it's been said once, it's been said a million times; a studio's highest priority is its bottom line. Now, that would be fine if they were happy accepting a profit and nothing more, but that isn't the case. With Deadline reporting that Prime Video has greenlit a Fallout reality competition series titled Fallout Shelter, the announcement underscores a familiar industry pattern: no matter how successful a property becomes, studios are rarely content to leave it untouched. From the clear misuse of the Fallout universe for profit rather than storytelling, reflecting a deep misunderstanding of the IP, to the fact that it is an unnecessary endeavor considering the immersive in-game mechanics that Fallout already has, little about this announcement should make fans excited. In fact, it should elicit quite the opposite reaction.

Prime Video's Announcement of 'Fallout Shelter' Fundamentally Misunderstands 'Fallout's Core Message

As previously mentioned, Deadline reported that Prime Video has greenlit Fallout Shelter, and revealed that the reality competition show will come from Studio Lambert, the production company behind similar reality shows such as The Traitors and Squid Game: The Challenge. Lambert will be teaming up with Kilter Films, the production company behind Prime Video's Fallout drama series starring Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins, as well as Amazon MGM Studios, and Bethesda Game Studios. The 10-part reality competition will take the same approach as the start of many Fallout stories by being set in a Vault-Tec vault, and will see contestants engage in “escalating challenges, strategic dilemmas, and moral crossroads.”

While the show will likely feature impressive production values and a vault that looks as realistic as possible, that is where its faithfulness to Fallout’s original intent ends. Because Prime Video is making the world itself a commodity that can be sold as the show's premise, it seemingly ignores the anti-capitalist messaging prevalent throughout Fallout, both the games and the TV show. It is also a clear cash grab by the studio, since it also reflects how Squid Game: The Challenge was also produced to capitalize on the popularity of the series, yet it fails to see the irony in the fact that, in both Squid Game and Fallout, it is those who orchestrate and create these environments who are the true antagonistics.

Whether there will be an acknowledgment of this irony within Fallout Shelter, such as an interactive character who serves as the vault's overseer and therefore a funnel for criticism of these forces, is yet to be seen. Still, even the existence of such a character would still feel hollow, as they would lack the sinister intimidation of the overseers, such as Steph Harper (Annabel O'Hagan) in the Fallout TV show. These overseers need to have the authority to remove people from the vault; when they do, it means death, not exiting a competition.

'Fallout Shelter' is Not Going to Be as Immersive as the 'Fallout' Games and Show

Prime Video's intentions for Fallout Shelter make the reality competition series feel incredibly unnecessary, given it adds little beyond what the video games and TV show have contributed to the franchise. The logline of Fallout Shelter, via Variety, claims that it will create "an immersive, high-stakes world inspired by the games’ signature dark humor," that also utilizes "'deeply social, psychological, and narrative-driven gameplay' in the spirit of the Fallout franchise and its 'choice-driven ethos.'" Because Fallout’s world is built around player-driven choices, as Prime Video has acknowledged, the most authentic way to explore it remains through the games themselves, making it unlikely that Fallout Shelter will offer a deeper experience.

While it is impossible to say whether the contestants will venture out into the Wasteland, this Wasteland won't be the sprawling and free-to-roam environment that both the games and show make it out to be. This takes away much of the range and depth of setting Fallout is supposed to offer, with the vaults meant to be a starting point the players branch out from and, at times, return to. Ultimately, Prime Video's announcement of Fallout Shelter is a disappointing step in the studio's management of the Fallout franchise. Their handling of the TV show adaptation has been received with positivity, especially Season 2 so far. Yet this is not a further exploration of the colorful and vast world of Fallout, but merely a copycat move seen previously when a studio wants to capitalize on the popularity of a survival-based property.