Over the last two decades, Bethesda has turned Fallout into one of the biggest gaming franchises in the Western world, but its history dates back to long before then. Released all the way back in 1997, Interplay Productions' Fallout, naturally, laid much of the groundwork that the rest of the franchise would follow in the decades to come, as did developer Black Isle's 1998 sequel. The Fallout franchise has had a long history, and the recently released Amazon Fallout show does its very best to honor everything that came before it.
Announced back in July 2020, fans were initially skeptical of the news of a live-action Fallout project. Though the game's strong focus on narrative and character development made a live-action adaptation make a lot of sense, at that time, there weren't too many great live-action video game adaptations around. But flash forward almost four years to the release of Amazon's Fallout, and both fans and critics alike are loving it, so much so that many are now requesting a live-action adaptation of Bethesda's other beloved RPG franchise, The Elder Scrolls. But just because Fallout has worked in the world of live-action doesn't mean that The Elder Scrolls will, and there are a few big reasons for that.
Fallout: Worst Things Done By The Brotherhood Of Steel
The Brotherhood of Steel might be Fallout's most iconic faction but they're also proof that in the Wasteland there are no heroes.
Skyrim Can't Be Given Fallout's TV Treatment So Easily
The Fallout Show Offers a Unique Take on The Post-Acopalypse
The post-apocalyptic genre is nothing new to the world of entertainment, with dystopian fiction first gaining popularity all the way back in the 1800s. Countless pieces of media have adopted the genre over the last two centuries. In the realm of movies and TV, most shows revolving around a post-apocalyptic setting are usually sorted into two main categories: drama and comedy.
Shows like The Walking Dead, Westworld, Snowpiercer, and The Last of Us all belong to the drama category, with the vast majority of their runtime being centered around the horrors and grounded reality of whatever post-apocalyptic setting they're portraying. Then there are shows like The Last Man on Earth and Miracle Workers, that subvert the conventions of the dramatic post-apocalyptic setting. The recently released Fallout manages to carve out a special niche for itself by striking a perfect balance between these two extremes.
Embracing the often irreverent, but occasionally somber and dark tone of its source material fully, Amazon's Fallout show can rapidly change between moments of absurdity designed to evoke humor, and moments of horror designed to build suspense and tension, occasionally during the very same scene. While Fallout also features some excellent writing, performances, action choreography, special effects, and cinematography, it's this genre-switching niche that really makes Fallout stand out among the sea of other post-apocalyptic TV shows, and other live-action video game adaptations.
A Skyrim Show Might Not Have a Distinct Niche
While humor is occasionally sprinkled into Skyrim via dialogue or certain side quests, it's mainly a very straightforward fantasy drama, and one that follows a lot of the conventions of its genre. Dragons, magic, mages, werewolves, elves, swords, and legendary heroes are all present in Skyrim, just as they are in countless other pieces of fantasy media. On a surface level, Skyrim shares a lot of similarities with shows like Game of Thrones and Rings of Power, meaning that a live-action adaptation of the game wouldn't stand out in its genre nearly as much as Fallout does in its own.
On top of that, Bethesda has been pretty open about its future plans for a Skyrim TV show, or the lack thereof. In a recent interview with IGN, Elder Scrolls director Todd Howard confirmed that there are no current plans for a Skyrim or Elder Scrolls TV adaptation, and even stated that he would "probably say no" to any pitches for one right now, citing that the Fallout show was a "natural relationship" that wasn't forced, and came about on its own over time. Howard did say that he "can't predict the future," though, meaning a Skyrim live-action adaptation could come in the future, but likely not anytime soon.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim celebrates 10 years of adventuring in stunning detail. The Anniversary Edition includes a decade worth of content: the critically acclaimed core game and add-ons of Skyrim Special Edition, plus Creation Club content released on or prior to November 11, 2021.
EPIC FANTASY REBORN
Skyrim reimagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose.
LIVE ANOTHER LIFE, IN ANOTHER WORLD
Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the legendary freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure of The Elder Scrolls is realized like never before.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU PLAY
Choose from hundreds of weapons, spells, and abilities. The new character system allows you to play any way you want and define yourself through your actions.
BATTLE DRAGONS
Battle ancient dragons like you’ve never seen. As Dragonborn, learn their secrets and harness their power for yourself.
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Engine
- Creation Engine
- Expansions
- Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
- File Size Xbox Series
- 29 GB (DECEMBER 2023)
- Metascore
- 96
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium (Special Edition)
