Fallout 5 is likely still many years away thanks to Bethesda's focus on The Elder Scrolls 6. Fans of The Elder Scrolls 6 have been waiting for it for over a decade, and so that Bethesda is focusing on its development is good news. It's a loss for Fallout 5, however, as it means that Fallout games will most likely miss out on including some of the best characters in its universe.
Adaptations of video games rarely succeed, but Amazon Prime's Fallout TV series stands out as a notable exception. Fallout had characters who were especially popular with viewers, as they not only fit perfectly in the world, they deepened the lore and had compelling arcs. Putting characters from other mediums into video games can be used to great effect, especially ones as iconic as the Ghoul. However, there's a very real chance that Fallout 5 could miss out on this opportunity.
Fallout 5 Could Follow in the TV Series' Footsteps with One Ghoul-Related Plot Point
The Fallout Amazon Prime series captures the spirit of the games, and one tweak of the franchise's lore could work wonders for Fallout 5's story.
Amazon's Fallout Characters Made a Mark on Audiences and Fallout's Lore
The Ghoul has become one of the most popular Fallout characters, and his backstory gives Fallout's lore a hefty punch. Originally named Cooper Howard, the Ghoul was revealed to be the original Vault Boy. Vault Tec had used Cooper's image to create Vault Boy, and he created Vault Boy's iconic thumb-up pose.
Cooper survived the nuclear bomb attack on Los Angeles, and is seen hundreds of years later in the Wastelands. His sardonic attitude, dry sense of humor, and prioritization of survival at all costs made him one of Fallout' s most popular characters. Cooper has appeared in some of the smaller Fallout games, such as Fallout Shelter and Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, but hasn't made an appearance in a mainline Fallout game as yet.
Lucy and Maximus, the other two major characters of the Fallout show, were also incredibly popular thanks to their respective factions, lore, development, and personalities. Maximus' role in the Brotherhood of Steel would be perfect for a cameo role in Fallout 5, while Lucy could also offer unique insight into the world.
Fallout's Timeline is Key
Fallout's timeline consistently moves forward, with the exception of Fallout 76:
- Fallout 76: 2102
- Fallout 1: 2161
- Fallout 2: 2241
- Fallout 3: 2277
- Fallout: New Vegas: 2281
- Fallout 4: 2287
- Fallout (Amazon): 2296
It's likely that Fallout 5 will stick with this pattern, and take place sometime after Fallout 4's 2287. Fallout's games take place across over two centuries, which gives them flexibility in setting, but placing characters into the right timeframe is more tricky. In order for any of the Fallout TV characters to appear in Fallout 5, it would need to have a timeskip of at least ten years, as Fallout concludes in 2297.
Fallout 5 would need to be set at a very particular time, as Lucy and Maximus would be too young or in a Vault if it's set too early, while they'd be dead if set too late. Cooper's timeline is also tricky to work around, as he was buried in 2266 until 2296.
This leaves a narrow window for the Fallout TV characters to appear, but it is possible. A bigger issue involves real world timelines. Fallout 5's development is likely many years away, and a lot could happen in the Fallout TV series in that time. Any of the characters in the show could be killed off, or change in ways that make it impossible to appear in Fallout 5.
The length of Bethesda games' development works against itself in cases like these. Cameos from other mediums, such as Saw Gerrera's appearances in different Star Wars properties, often serve as a link between different stories that take place across the same setting, and Fallout 5's development taking so long that excluding this link could be to its detriment.
Fallout 4
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