I’ve mostly enjoyed the second season of Amazon and Bethesda’s live-action Fallout TV show. One thing I hated about this new season, however, was that each new episode premiered at midnight. Thankfully, Amazon is changing this release schedule for the rest of the season.
On January 26, Amazon Prime Video announced its plans to release the next (and final) two episodes of Fallout season two at 6 p.m. PT instead of midnight. Season two episode seven will now arrive on Tuesday, January 27, and episode eight will be available on Tuesday, February 3.
“Good morning, Vault Dwellers!” posted Amazon on Twitter. “Due to strong participation and interest, we have amended the start times for the remaining Season Two presentations.”
Good morning, Vault Dwellers! Due to strong participation and interest, we have amended the start times for the remaining Season Two presentations. Episode Seven will now begin Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. PT, and Episode Eight will now begin Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. PT. Your… pic.twitter.com/x1LhnwEsRL
While I’ve been a fan of the weekly rollout of Fallout season two, as it allows my friend group time to watch and then later chat about each episode at the same time as the internet, I really, really hated the midnight release time. It made it harder for sites to cover, made it more annoying for people to avoid spoilers the following morning, and didn’t really seem to have any benefit other than that some night owls got to watch the latest episode a bit earlier than everyone else. So I’m very happy with this change!
In fact, it should work this way when Fallout season three arrives in the future. Amazon already confirmed a third season is on the way, and I’ll be madder than a Deathclaw with a dart in its leg if the streaming giant decides to go back to midnight releases for that next round of episodes.
Season two of Falloutmay be almost over, but the tie-ins keep on a-coming via Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair line.
Earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast announced four new drops spanning “the Fallout world…in one unmistakably irradiated lineup.” One drop, “Beyond Vault 33,” has characters from the show—the core trio of Lucy, Maximus, and Ghoul—making their Magic debut, complete with “new-to-Magic” designs. Other drops have cards focused on dogs, the irradiated wasteland, and New Vegas. Similar to the Monster Hunter collab, some cards are reskins of pre-established ones: “Mesmeric Orb” is here reflavored as “Mothman Egg,” “Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful” is “Dogmeat, Constant Companion,” and so on.
Non-foil packs for “Beyond Vault 33” will run $40, and the foil version will be $50. Non-foils for “Greet the Dog,” “Rad,” and “Welcome to New Vegas” are $30 each, and their foil versions are $40.
This marks the second time the RPG franchise has been part of Magic: in 2024, Wizards released a quartet of Commander decks based specifically on the games, as part of a larger collaboration with major gaming series like Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed. No word yet on if Magic will double dip on Creed when that live-action show eventually arrives, but depending on this upcoming Fallout drop fares, that might be in the cards.
Fallout will come to Secret Lair on Monday, January 26, with a pre-queue opening up at 8 AM PT, an hour before sales go live.
Two seasons in, and the Fallout TV show may soon expand its horizons. Not with a spinoff set in the same universe with new characters, but a reality competition show, of all things.
Per reporter Jeff Sneider, the streamer’s got designs on such a project dubbed Fallout Shelter. He alleges the series will take place inside one or perhaps multiple Vaults, and take inspiration from the video game of the same name where a player (dubbed the “Overseer”) manages their Vault and its citizens by giving them food, supplies, and generally making sure they survive. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are expected to executive produce this series, as they do for the adaptation.
The Fallout Shelter game debuted on mobile back in 2015 and was the first mobile spinoff for the franchise. (It’s since been ported to other systems, including Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.) If it’s true that Prime Video’s expanding the franchise with a competition show, it’s not too surprising: the streamer already has series for Mr. Beast and 007, and Netflix has a similar offshoot for Squid Game, which recently wrapped its second season and will get a third.
Does that make it good that Fallout’s post-apocalyptic setting may end up the backdrop for an otherwise standard reality show? Not really. Either way, we’ll have more on this show as news emerges, and whether Prime will make an in-universe Fallout spinoff, or even just more seasons of the main show.
For years now, Fallout fans have been wondering when the next mainline sequel will arrive. Hype for the game most assume will be called Fallout 5 grew even larger last year after Amazon’s TV show made the post-apocalyptic franchise bigger than ever. And while Bethesda hasn’t formally announced Fallout 5, that hasn’t stopped the studio’s creative director, Todd Howard, from talking about it over the years.
Fallout 4 arrived on consoles and PC in 2015. Not long after its launch, people began wondering about Fallout 5. As a result, whenever Howard sits down for an interview, it’s not unusual for someone to ask him about Fallout 5 and the future of the franchise. Here’s nearly every time Howard has talked about Fallout 5, presented in chronological order. One thing to keep in mind before scrolling down is that Howard is very careful when talking about Fallout 5, so be prepared for comments that give you plenty to infer and speculate about, but little in the way of cold hard facts.
June 2018 – Fallout 5 will be a single-player video game
Technically, during a 2018 interview with German outlet GameStar, Howard didn’t say anything specific about a new Fallout game. However, when asked if all upcoming Bethesda games would feature multiplayer like Fallout 76, he replied that no, future games from the studio would still be single-player adventures.
November 2021 – Bethesda has a Fallout 5 “one-pager”
A few years later, during an interview with IGN, Howard spilled a bit more about the next Fallout sequel. He told the outlet that Bethesda has a “one-pager on Fallout 5, what we want to do,” but made it clear that the plan at the time was Starfield and then Elder Scrolls VI, seemingly confirming that Fallout 5 remained many, many years away.
June 2022 – Fallout 5 is next after The Elder Scrolls VI
“Yes, Elder Scrolls 6 is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing Fallout 5 after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while. We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well.”
June 2023 – Fallout 5 might not be Bethesda’s next game after Elder Scrolls 6
A year after saying Fallout 5 would be Bethesda’s next project after shipping Elder Scrolls VI,Howard backtracked a bit and clarified that he simply meant that Fallout 5 would arrive after The Elder Scrolls 6, not that he wanted to confirm it as the next game. This confusing backtrack worried fans who now wondered if Bethesda had a different project in the works that could further delay Fallout 5. In this same interview, he argued that long gaps between sequels, while annoying for fans, have rarely hurt a game’s success or quality.
March 2024 – Fallout TV showrunners were told to avoid certain details that will be in Fallout 5
After causing a ruckus online by claiming that the Fallout TV show was “basically Fallout 5,” showrunner Johnathan Nolan clarified that he just meant this is the next story in the universe and not a replacement for an upcoming game. In fact, the show is actively avoiding some parts of the franchise because it would cause problems for Fallout 5.
“Well, there were some things where I said, ‘Don’t do this because we are going to do that in Fallout 5,’” Howard told Den of Geek.
April 2024 – Todd Howard dodges a question about Fallout 5‘s release after The Elder Scrolls VI
When talking to IGN, Howard was yet again asked about Fallout 5 launching after The Elder Scrolls 6. This time, he straight-up dodged the question, but did confirm that Bethesda is working on different projects. “I’m going to avoid putting dates on anything, I’ve learned that the hard way,” said Howard. “So, obviously, you know, our focus as far as new development right now is Elder Scrolls 6, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not making plans for other things.”
June 2024 – Bethesda is not in a rush to release a new Fallout game
During a 2024 interview with YouTuber MrMattyPlays, Howard said that Bethesda didn’t feel the need to “rush out” a new Fallout sequel or spin-off, though he also acknowledged that the wait between Fallout 4 and Fallout 5 is growing longer and longer.
“Totally get the desire for a new kind of mainline single-player game. And look, those things take time. I don’t think it’s bad for people to miss things. We just want to get it right and make sure that everything we’re doing in a franchise, whether it’s Elder Scrolls, Fallout, or now Starfield, that those become meaningful moments for everybody who loved these franchises as much as we do.”
October 2025 – Howard ends Fallout Day stream with a promise that more is being worked on
To celebrate Fallout Day, the day the bombs fell in-universe and destroyed the Earth, Bethesda held a digital showcase to announce a Fallout 4 update, reveal some Fallout 76 news, and not much else. Seemingly aware that this presentation would be disappointing to fans longing for Fallout 5,Howard appeared at the end to offer some hope, telling fans that the studio is “working on even more” and that Bethesda is “looking forward to the day” when all is revealed.
December 2025 – Howard confirms Fallout 5 won’t ignore the TV show
In an interview with the BBC, Howard was asked if the events of the Fallout show are being considered by the devs while making Fallout 5. Would the show and the game really exist in one world?
“In short, yes,” Howard told the outlet. “Fallout 5 will be existing in a world where the stories and events of the show happened or are happening. We are taking that into account.”
December 2025 – Bethesda is still working hard on more Fallout
Speaking to Game Informer, Howard made it clear that Fallout is a very important franchise for Bethesda and that it has been working on projects related to the post-apocalyptic world for a long time.
“I will say, first, looking at 76, we’ve never stopped developing Fallout. We’ve had a full team on Fallout for a long time. So Fallout, as a franchise, is the one we’re still doing the most work in above anything. Now, the majority of our internal studio is on Elder Scrolls VI. We are doing other things with Fallout that we haven’t announced, and you know, there’ll come a time for that. I get the sort of anxiety from fans, like, ‘Well, what else? What else? Feed me!’ But, look, we’re working on stuff, and we do like to wait. And so, I think there’ll be a moment to talk about that, and we want to make those special moments for our fans.”
Fallout is not a direct adaptation of the beloved games—neither the Black Isle/Interplay classics nor the revived Bethesda/Obsidian era of the series—which means that there’s plenty of space for it to carve out its own imagining of the franchise in its corner of the wasteland. That hasn’t stopped game fans, especially as the show begins to play more directly with plot beats from the games, from bristling when the show makes a departure from the source material, big or small. But in this week’s episode of the show’s second season, the series is already returning to its biggest and most controversial swing away from the games… and tying it all into another fascinating twist it’s dealing with this season.
After the premiere episode caught us up with the Ghoul and Lucy’s journey towards New Vegas, “The Golden Rule” checks in on the now-separated Maximus, back firmly within the arms of the Brotherhood of Steel after he was cut off from finding Lucy again in the climax of season one. It’s an episode that is more broadly about how the ramifications of Maximus’ actions across season two have come home to roost and his willingness to survive in spite of those ramifications regardless of the cost. But before we even get to all that (and a potential simmering schism among the Brotherhood), it opens with a flashback to a defining moment in both Maximus’ life and one of Fallout‘s most controversial choices: the destruction of Shady Sands, the heart of the New California Republic, through the machinations of Vault-Tec.
In isolation, it’s a great sequence—tense and tragic in equal measure, not just for the impact it has on poor young Maximus’ life as his parents sacrifice themselves to keep him protected from the blast, but because of that inevitable gutwrench of getting to see a civilization that managed to really thrive and establish itself in the aftermath of the war get snuffed out just as it was on the verge of endurance. An endurance, of course, that Vault-Tec (mostly through Hank and his personal spite at the NCR for taking his wife from him) cannot abide, because a future for the wasteland championed through community rather than capitalism is a bigger threat to its own survival than any nuclear war could be.
But it’s also interesting that the season comes right back to this moment before we rejoin Maximus as an adult, the horrors of his childhood losses having shaped him into the man he is. The destruction of Shady Sands was a major shock in Fallout‘s first season—and for game fans, not for good reasons. In the game series, Shady Sands was the heart of the NCR as a thriving, major faction in the Fallout universe’s political landscape. Although the main show itself is set decades after the modern games, the destruction of Shady Sands was established as taking place between the events of Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4—representing what some saw as a disruption to the franchise’s continuity and a perceived betrayal of what the games had established, not just in terms of canon, but in wiping the slate for a viable future for Fallout‘s world in order to maintain the wasteland status quo forevermore. Of the many settlements and attempts at renewal Fallout had given us over the years, Shady Sands and the NCR’s continuation was arguably one of the most hopeful outcomes—but in the show, it was all just gone in an instant.
Instead of addressing that controversy, Fallout simply stands by it with confidence that it is still telling its own story, rather than being beholden to or riffing off of the games’ established events. If anything, the sequence represents the series telling the audience that this change is even more important to the show than being simple worldbuilding tweaks, and this interpretation of Fallout is willing to explore the emotional and thematic impact its loss has on the world and its characters. Fascinatingly, in revisiting it now, Fallout also ties the destruction of Shady Sands into another controversial step away from the games that is forming a major part of season two: the arrival of Robert House as a major player and his plans (and seemingly Vault-Tec’s in turn) to dominate the minds of others with the brain-computer interface chips.
In almost cheeky style, Fallout pays direct homage to the games by integrating the role of the chip into Shady Sands’ destruction. It’s revealed that the nuke is smuggled into the heart of the city by an NCR trooper who’s been implanted with one of the devices, only capable of muttering “patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter” over and over before he keels over, a nod to an oft-repeated line of NPC dialogue from New Vegas, the NCR equivalent of Skyrim‘s “arrow to the knee” meme. But the interface chips, and their connection to Mr. House and Hank MacLean alike, are themselves quickly becoming another similar point of controversy for the show among game fans: while there are definitely plenty of mind-control-adjacent pieces of tech in Fallout, there’s nothing really like the interface chip in the games, and definitely nothing related to anything House was planning as he and RobCo prepared to survive the coming war as explored in New Vegas.
By tying these two points of controversy together—or rather, points of differentiation between the show and the games—Fallout is having the confidence to say to its audience that it is telling its own story, inspired by, but not beholden to, the games. It’s a refreshingly candid tone for a video game adaptation to take, as we increasingly see more and more of them, and more and more of them making a selling point of being faithful to the gaming source material. Fallout‘s not dismissing the games here, so far at least: it’s showing its love for the franchise by being bold enough to push things in new directions and make things of its own volition. They might clash sometimes, but it’s an overall additive effect that enriches both the show and the wider franchise. Even if they have to nuke a city to make the proverbial omelette, in this case.
It’s not uncommon for a streamer on the precipice of premiering one of its banner shows to release a helpful little recap video to catch folks up to speed. What shouldn’t be a sentence written, let alone read, is that Prime Video appears to have rake-stepped once more with AI, making new slop in the form of a Falloutahead of its second season. Surprise! It comes complete with inaccuracies and hallucinations about the show.
GamesRadar+ first reported on the news; Prime Video’s Fallout season one recap video was also shared on Reddit. You can currently view the three-minute clip on Prime Video by going to the Fallout page, selecting season two, and clicking “Bonus: Fallout Season 1 Recap.”
Immediately, it hits viewers with a monotone text-to-speech-sounding voice. It’s not unlike the streamer’s anime AI beta dub that pissed a bunch of users off—to the point that Amazon quietly rolled back the implementation of its English AI beta for shows like Banana Fish and No Game No Life.
Key among the Fallout trailer’s errors is the robotic narrator claiming the show’s flashbacks to a pre-ghoul Walton Goggins are set in 1950s America. In fact, as GamesRadar+ notes, these scenes, while both a throwback to the novelty of the time and featuring a nuclear-powered futuristic visage, actually take place in 2077.
Another inaccuracy within the recap video is its characterization of season one’s climax, stating the Ghoul’s offer to Ella Purnell‘s Lucy MacLean to hunt after her father was of the “die or leave with him” variety.
In reality, both characters were fed up with all of Kyle MacLachlan’s Hank and his bullshit, so they decided to pretty amicably join up to hunt him down. That is seemingly the whole thrust of the show’s upcoming second season. But no one would’ve gleaned that by watching this particular recap video.
io9 has reached out to Prime Video for comment and will update this post should we hear back.
Prime Video’s AI recap videos aren’t a new thing, it seems. As with AI beta dub tracks introduced back in March, Amazon has been testing AI-generated recap videos as recently as last month, according to the Verge. In fact, the company was so proud of it, it wrote a whole blog touting that AI video recaps would “use AI to identify a show’s most important plot points, combining them with synchronized voice narration, dialogue snippets, and music to create a visual summary that prepares viewers for the new season.”
“Video Recaps marks a groundbreaking application of generative AI for streaming,” Gérard Medioni, vice president of technology at Prime Video, wrote in the post. “This first-of-its-kind feature demonstrates Prime Video’s ongoing commitment to innovation and making the viewing experience more accessible and enjoyable for customers.”
But as noted earlier, the program clearly isn’t built to do what it says it would, like identifying all the crucial details of a show, when it even gets the simplest and most nuanced details wrong. Then again, AI is wont to do that. But even if it did those things right, who is asking to sit down and listen to an emotionless voice summarize plot details for a show with all the enthusiasm of a wet dishrag?
On any given day, all of this is just another bad look for a media corporation. But it’s especially messed up considering a lot of folks will likely take a gander at it, what with Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards taking place later today. Last year, Fallout won Best Adaptation, bringing out Bethesda developers like Todd Howard to accept the award. Two years ago, Fallout stars Purnell, Goggins, Aaron Moten, and a dude wearing full power armor took the stage to announce the show.
Fallout is a good show that deserves kudos, so seeing the platform that houses it not give enough of a shit to do the bare minimum of hiring someone to cut a quick little recap of the show’s “things to remember” moments is all kinds of hacky and lazy.
Fallout season two premieres December 17 on Prime Video, should this instance of AI chicanery not have yucked your Vault-dwelling yum.
Game-mode: enabled. Xbox and Crocs have teamed up to release an exclusive collection.
Ready up with this controller-meets-clog design that reimagines the iconic Xbox controller with fixed buttons and joysticks into the perfect shoe for couch co-op and kicking back – complete with cushioned footbeds adorned with Player Left and Player Right, which give expert-level comfort to support your next session.
Merry Christmas! But sorry, I think you must have been bad because all I have to offer you is this new Walmart commercial starring Walton Goggins, aka the Ghoul from Amazon’s Fallout series, in a crass attempt to cash in on millennial nostalgia for that Jim Carrey Grinch movie.
Yup, Walton Goggins took what I assume was a sizeable paycheck to star in a new, very expensive-looking Walmart ad that is clearly inspired by Dr. Seuss’ holiday classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and more specifically by the 2000 film adaptation starring Jim Carrey. (Nobody tell Amazon that Goggins is in a Walmart ad!) Goggins not only looks like Carrey’s Grinch, but even (mostly) does a solid impersonation of the comedian’s famous portrayal of the Christmas-hating monster. Here’s the ad:
It’s better than the animated movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch,that you likely forgot even got made, but come on, Goggins. How much money do you need? Really, I can spot you a fifty if that helps you avoid shit like this.
If you’ve got Falloutfever ahead of the show’s second season, Las Vegas has a museum exhibit you’re going to love.
Beginning November 14 and lasting through 2026, the city’s National Atomic Testing Museum will have a limited-time “World of Fallout” exhibition backed by franchise owner Bethesda. The exhibition will explore the cultural legacy of atomic history as it relates to the video game franchise and will feature “carefully selected objects and interpretive displays.” That includes “screen-worn Vault suits and memorabilia alongside graphic panels that explore the recurring elements of the franchise, along with the key Cold War themes that influenced the world and its lore.”
Joseph Kent, the curator and chief community officer for the museum, called this “a chance for gamers and history buffs alike to see just how closely the two worlds connect.”
The year 2025 is significant for Fallout: along with the show, it marks the respective 15- and 10-year anniversaries of Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas (released October 19, 2010) and Bethesda’s Fallout 4 (November 10, 2015). On Thursday, October 23, Bethesda is holding a livestream celebrating the franchise, which may potentially contain a look at Fallout 76’s next big update that’ll bring over Walton Goggins’ Ghoul from the show into the game. It may also have a new look at the Prime Video series before its return on December 17.
The gates of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood have opened, and this year’s event has some of the theme park’s biggest debuts. Between Terrifier and Five Nights at Freddy’s, the headliner haunted houses really pack a punch, with the terror titan-led Jason Universe house, based on the Friday the 13th franchise, also helping to power a killer season start.
But that’s not to say there were some lows; surprisingly, HHN’s anticipated Fallout offering fell short of expectations. Some repeat houses managed to hold enough excitement, but the West Coast event—which is smaller than the version mounted by Halloween Horror Nights Orlando—might prove to create uneven experiences for park guests who can’t shell out the extra dough for express passes.
Express tickets were provided by Universal for media to be able to review all the houses, and that’s a key takeaway from the start: as theme park insiders, it was clear to us that it might be near impossible to visit all the houses if you do general event admission. If you’re locked in to that price point, always be sure to prioritize 3-4 houses and one entertainment offering—between the Blumhouse-themed Terror Tram, the stunt show The Purge: Dangerous Waters, or the Chainsaw Man short film screening. If you really want to do everything in one night, upgrading to express may be your best bet.
I do have one pro tip from attending in past years: the express pass will sometimes be offered at 50% off near the end of the night and you can buy in to race through all the houses in the last few hours of the event. I’ve done it myself. You can only take advantage if you’re already in the park when the signs go up at the ticket upgrade stations, so keep an eye out for that.
As an LA local, I’ve also simply spread it out by buying a multi-night ticket (such as the “Frequent Fear” pass) and going once a week to hang out for vibes and scope out shorter lines for houses I’ve missed or want to do again.
Here’s what we thought of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood for 2025:
Terrifier: Art the Clown has unofficially solidified his place as a Horror Nights icon. From the moment you arrive at the event, the roaming silent clown killer chillingly charms with his bag of demented tricks. Personally, and like most going to the event, this was my first exposure to the character and the world of Terrifier, having been deterred by some of the divisive discourse surrounding the gratuitous violence of the franchise. However, the Terrifier house cleared up some of my concerns and I think the films fall more into an absurdist gore vibe versus the gritty gore genre (think more Raimi than Roth).
There are more horrific things, I think, in the Monstruos house with a child being eaten by La Llorona than anything in the Terrifier house. Don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Art is still very hardcore but in a hilarious way. We very much enjoyed the Looney Tunes or rather Itchy & Scratchy aura on a very sick cartoony clown’s mission of demonic mayhem. The full display of depravity was such a rollicking good time I went home and watched Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 immediately. Art the Clown will get new fans (myself included) and this house will please longtime fanatics. Get down to the Clown Cafe as soon as you can because this one will have a long queue. And the water splash warnings? They’re for real; bring a poncho.
Jason Universe: This is hands down the scariest house in a traditional sense. Jason stalks you alongside memorable Camp Crystal Lake deaths and with the iconic soundtrack, there are jump scares aplenty. If you’re hard to “get,” you’ll appreciate the attention to detail in making a house that encompasses the Friday the 13th legacy. Even with an express pass, this line was long.
Pro tip: The Jason Universe-themed foods are low-key the HHN snack war winners. We recommend the gouda fondue bread bowl (we paid out of pocket for it); it’s steeped in Angry Orchard cider and comes with green apple slices. It’s available at the same booth as the Jason mask-shaped s’mores. It might be the best food of the horror fest.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: The sheer artistry of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop’s puppetry and HHN performer work makes this one an all-ages all-timer with aplomb. The haunted “animatronics” charging at you or springing to life really works and there are even unexpected jump scares with dead kids creeping up on you as you hover awestruck around Chica or Foxy. Our only complaint is that the stage show centerpiece at the start only featured Freddy; Orlando’s HHN got the whole ensemble.
Chainsaw Man: This import from Universal Studios Japan was an unexpected surprise. Anime fans will delight in a special HHN Japan theater short, which brings the beloved characters (minus Pochita, sadly) into a meta immersive experience where they have to fight demons while attending HHN themselves. The mix of cute, spooky 2D animation and fourth-wall-breaking CG action with a brief adventure featuring the Chainsaw Man gang impresses and I hope we get more overseas fun making its way stateside.
Scarecrow featuring Slash: The HHN Hollywood Scarecrow lore grows with Slash providing a new score. The scares and creature work always make this a standout. However, we were a little underwhelmed by the music; we loved the riff composed by the rock legend but the boom-clap beat made us feel like we were comically in a corn whiskey commercial. It threw the spooky energy off. Hit the bar after.
Monstruos 3:Celebrating the horrors of Latin American folklore has been a fantastic staple of HHN and really there’s no one scarier than La Llorona (IYKYK) and her penchant for kidnapping children and feasting on their souls. Alongside another killer vengeful cryptid, La Siguanaba, this house makes for a solid scare-filled experience; it just felt a little on the shorter side or perhaps we caught it while there was a cast change, which happens sometimes.
WWE Presents: The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks: As an homage to the late wrestler who came up with the entertainment wrestling’s campy horror lore, this house is a sentimental and solid send-off. However, as someone whose horror WWE storylines were Undertaker and Kane, I felt so lost and wasn’t sure how to connect the storyline in the house to the personas in the ring. Could have had a bit more cohesion but the set and costuming were on point; we’ll give it that. Pro-tip: This one has a series of gross-smelling rooms, and you’ll also get sprayed.
Terror Tram: Blumhouse taking over the backlot could have been great but it ends up being more like an elaborate meet-and-greet area than a haunt. Unless you particularly want to meet Blumhouse figures of fright and get more steps in, it’s probably best to skip. But if you’re a horror movie fan and want to explore where the movies are made, this is a good spot. The photos are always great so that’s an upside. Be warned: this experience takes up nearly an hour of your time so plan accordingly.
The Purge: Dangerous Waters: This is tired and while we appreciate the effort in the stunts, there hasn’t been a new Purge movie in ages. This space could have been better utilized, perhaps by Fallout, and we’ll explain why in a bit.
Poltergeist: Retire this one.
Fallout: As a fan of Walton Goggins’ Ghoul, there was not enough sassy and scary outlaw Ghoulussy put into this. The Vault scenes were short and focused too much on Lucy’s linear journey rather than giving us a greatest hits of the horrific moments from the Prime Video show. It also wasn’t scary at all and used up so much space in the former Walking Dead year-long house attraction area with few set pieces that it felt over sooner than we would have liked. For a property that’s going to invite long queues, it’s not worth it. A show on the Waterworld stage starring the Ghoul and Lucy squaring off against figures in the wasteland and the Gulper might have been better.
Pro-tip: The Fallout food is a more fun experience; we recommend the Roasted Radroach Legs but also had a particular affinity for the Roasted Stingwing. There’s also RadAway in pouches for you, in-universe-specific item fans.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood is open now through November 2. Get tickets here.
Earlier this week, someone leaked what they claim to be new Fallout-themed merchandise that will reportedly soon be available on Target shelves around the United States. But fans think that at least one piece of leaked merch is using AI-generated imagery, aka slop.
On September 2, a user on the Fallout subreddit posted a short video of them seemingly pulling out pieces of not-yet-announced Fallout-themed merchandise in a warehouse-like setting. The user claimed that the Fallout goodies would be sold at Target starting in November or December. The original video has since been deleted, possibly because the original poster was nervous about getting in trouble with Target. But Kotaku viewed the video before it was deleted, and the merch seemed real. And one item, Fallout-themed hot sauce, appears to be shipping to stores in a box that has AI-generated imagery on the back.
As spotted by PCGamesn, users in the comments below the leaked Target video began focusing on peculiarities in the hot sauce artwork. In the image, a couple is seen sitting at a table eating a Deathclaw’s hand. But the man can be seen using his knife and fork to cut up a napkin. The fork looks oddly shaped, too. Others pointed out that the Deathclaw hand seems to be floating oddly above the plate. The man’s right hand also seems off. All of this would lead one to believe this new Fallout merch is using AI-generated artwork.
Kotaku contacted Bethesda about the leaked art, but didn’t receive a response before publication. It should be noted that Bethesda likely contracted this artwork out via another company and didn’t create the image.
The use of AI-generated slop has become more and more prevalent in marketing and advertising over the last two years as companies desperate to make the line go up cut corners to prove to investors they aren’t being left behind as AI-powered tech continues to grow. In fact, this isn’t even the first time an official Fallout-related artwork has been scrutinized by fans for some strange, AI-like oddities. Will a man using a terrible fork to cut up a napkin stop collectors and fans from buying this piece of Fallout merch? Probably not, which is what companies are counting on.
Universal Studios is rolling out its houses of horror across the country—opening three major hubs that monster fans can make their Halloween season travel destinations—in this month’s theme park news.
io9 was invited by Universal to experience the very big bag of tricks and treats the theme park creatives are unleashing into the world for fandom fiends seeking thrilling frights. On the West Coast, Universal Studios Hollywood prepares to open the vault with the Fallout house inspired by the Prime Video series and Bethesda video game franchise, alongside its other horror property offerings, come September.
Meanwhile in Las Vegas, AREA15 has opened the gates of Universal Horror Unleashed, a desert warehouse that holds haunted gateways to chilling cinematic experiences. And of course things are already getting started at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando with Terrifier’s Art the Clown being set loose alongside the Five Nights at Freddy’s gang.
Universal Studios Hollywood Fallout lights on tour
HHN Hollywood creative director John Murdy walked through the Fallout house with press to explain the story guests would be experiencing nightly during the Halloween event’s run. “Going through the series, my initial reaction was, ‘Wow, this is a huge world,’ and there’s three different kinds of storylines going on with the show. There’s Lucy’s storyline where she’s searching for her father, there’s Maximus’ storyline with the Brotherhood of Steel, and then there’s the Ghoul and his storyline—kind of going from being a TV actor cowboy to his transformation into this bounty hunter character.”
“So what we decided ultimately to do is we would pretty much be following in Lucy’s footsteps,” he shared, as we saw the under-construction vault setting for the wedding leading to her eventual breakout through the vault door.
“So we’re gonna be taking you from the vault to the wasteland, meeting all the characters along the way,” Murdy continued, and elaborated that Hollywood’s version of the house will offer different set pieces than Orlando. One major difference is that the West Coast will get the mutated Yao Guai bear, whereas Florida will get the Gulper.
Murdy knew one thing for certain: “And then for us, when I saw the Super Duper Mart sequence, which is actually the fourth episode of Fallout, I was like, that is tailor-made for a finale to a Halloween horror house because it’s when all the ghouls are breaking out.”
Murdy acknowledged that the Fallout house would also include many Easter eggs for the show and the games, such as a final scare piece to hype up season two of the Prime Video series.
Murdy also discussed the making of the other major horror video game and now movie franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s with press on a more extensive and detailed BTS tour showcasing the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop puppets, which can be found here.
In Las Vegas, Universal’s year-round horror haven is now officially open with houses that feature The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Universal Monsters, The Exorcist: Believer, and HHN West’s fan-favorite Scarecrow. The Sin City attraction, which io9 attended as a media guest, is the gem of AREA15 Zone 2; it aims to attract immersive-experience fans to a new side of the Strip that elevates experiential entertainment and dining.
Universal Horror Unleashed features spooky sips and eats in addition to live acts, including HHN East’s icons Jack the Clown and Chance—who perfectly suit the chaotic clownery of Vegas.
Many HHN fans will notice that neither Orlando nor Hollywood features a Universal Monsters house this year and that’s because of Universal Horror Unleashed. And when we say it’s the best one yet, we mean it mostly because it finally debuts the Creature From the Black Lagoon as part of the action.
There’s a whole under-the-sea sequence where you wade past seaweed to come face-to-face with the creature that is swimmingly well executed. On top of that you’ll encounter Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride, the Phantom of the Opera, Quasimodo, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy—along with the Gill-man—in an all-out mash that you’ll want to go through over and over again. For ticket information visit here.
While we haven’t yet visited HHN Orlando, the fun officially kicks off this weekend with the annual event’s opening. To celebrate, Art the Clown from Terrifier has taken over the social media account to show he’s taken Jack’s place as the resident clown at Universal Studios in Florida.
And of course, if you’re hoping to see the Universal Monsters while you travel to the East Coast, you can make a day of it at Epic Universe with a visit to Darkmoor and Frankenstein Manor for Monsters Unchained—and then of course go scream your face off at HHN. There’s also no telling what monsters you’ll run into; there could be an Invisible Man or a wild Ygor looking for the Frankenstein creations.
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights is bringing the wasteland from Fallout to life in more ways than the haunted house inspired by the hit Prime Video show and video game.
io9 was recently invited to HHN Hollywood’s food tasting to try the frightful fare coming to the spooky season haunt event. We had the option to preview selections from menu items and merch inspired by this year’s slate of horror IPs coming to the theme park, including Terrifier, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the Jason (Voorhees) Universe. But it was Fallout that nuclear blasted us away with big hits and surprising misses.
Loaded Cram Fries: These hearty, cheesy pub fries with fried spam chunks are good for sharing; it’s pretty standard theme park fare. I love the cheese and potato combo always but could do without the spam; the dry, greasy canned meat on top of greasy fries was too heavy. Roasted Radroach Legs: The TV dinner-style blackened Radroach (turkey) wings with a side of pub fries were pretty solid. The glaze did give it the right color to pass for, you know, a giant roach piece, which works. Roasted Stingwing: I was pleasantly surprised by the plant-based meatloaf served with insta-mash and mushroom gravy. The mash was a bit flavorless, but that was fine because once it’s worked in with the Stingwing (Beyond) meat and mushroom gravy, it’s so tasty! I had two of these and plan to order at the park when I go again, instead of the Radroach—and I’m not even a vegan; that’s how you know it’s good. I would fight a mutated scorpion fly to eat it if it was rationed in the wasteland.
Other savory options and their descriptions from Universal Studios HHN we’ll try when it’s open:
Brahmin Burger – all-beef burger topped with smoked brisket, pickles and BBQ sauce
Gulper Stew – creamy clam chowder topped with green onions and crispy bacon
Iguana on a Stick – cheesy cornflake-crusted corn dog
Yum Yum Deviled Eggs: These nearly got me tricked. I love deviled eggs, and while I do think that would have been a haunting choice to later experience as part of the gaseous smells of the haunted houses, it turns out they’re dessert! The eggs are actually coconut panna cotta filled with Chamoy pineapple bits and topped with mango topping and Tajin. As someone who is not into that profile of flavors, I bowed out but have to hand it to the Universal culinary team; the texture and look had me so fooled. It’s a playful callback to the safe-to-eat-for-200-years Yum Yum Deviled Eggs in the show and games.
RadAway: It comes in a pouch that’s game accurate over show accurate, which is just awesome. It’s a lemonade that has faint notes of chipotle but definitely overpowers the palate with pineapple flavor. If that’s your bag, have fun; I’d rather be a ghoul than drink the RadAway.
The rest of the drink and dessert fare:
Vault Dwellers Wedding Cake – red velvet sponge cake with cream cheese mousse
Sunset Sarsaparilla – hot honey root beer topped with sweet cold foam (non-alcoholic)
Quantum Fizz – blue raspberry Sprite with a sour blue raspberry rim (non-alcoholic)
The Nuclear Blast – vodka, peach schnapps, blue curaçao, orange and lemon juice, simple syrup, and Sprite topped with a dehydrated lemon wheel
Take a look at the gallery below for a full preview of the options that will be available this fall at HHN Hollywood!
Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights starts Thursday, September 4, and runs through Sunday, November 2. Tickets are available for purchase here.
Just as Lucy, the star of Fallout, continues to learn about the decimated world around her, so too has its streamer, Prime Video. After inexplicably breaking its own mold and releasing the entire first season of the show at once, season two will be released weekl. It premieres on December 17, “with the eight-episode season rolling out with one new episode weekly until the season finale on February 4,” according to a press release.
Hallelujah! The first season of the show was a massive success for the streamer, but it also came and went from the cultural conversation much sooner than it usually would because the whole thing dropped at once. What made the decision even more confusing is that Prime Video doesn’t usually do that. The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Wheel of Time (RIP), Invincible, The Boys—most of its big genre shows were released weekly. Then here comes Fallout, one of the most highly anticipated video game adaptations ever, made by the same people who made Westworld, and they all dropped all at once. That would’ve made sense if it sucked, but clearly, it did not.
Basically, the choice made no sense then, and it makes no sense now, but it’s in the past. And, to be perfectly honest, it kind of worked. According to Amazon, “To date, Fallout season one has amassed more than 100 million viewers worldwide, ranking among the service’s top three most-watched titles ever.” Take that, every other show on Prime Video except two.
Now, with Fallout season two, fans will be able to dig into each episode, week by week, as we follow Lucy (Ella Purnell), the Ghoul (Walton Goggins), and so many others through the post-apocalyptic world based on the Bethesda video game franchise. We’ll have much more as we approach the December 17 premiere.
Are you with us and happy about this news? Or are you more excited by a show you can binge? Let us know below.
Emmy contenders “Fallout,” “Fargo” and “Ripley” were among the winners at the 11th annual Location Managers Guild International Awards, presented Saturday at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
Additionally, motion picture awards went to Best Picture Oscar recipient “Oppenheimer,” which was filmed throughout New Mexico, and “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1,” filmed in Norway, Italy and in the U.K.
“Fallout” was lensed in Utah, New York and Namibia; “Fargo,” in Alberta, Canada; and “Ripley,” in Italy. “Toyota: “Present from the Past,” filmed in Washington State, topped the commercial category.
Film in Iceland received the Outstanding Film Commission Award, on the strength of its support for “True Detective: Night Country.”
Also during the ceremony, which was hosted by actress and producer Rachael Harris (“Suits,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “The Hangover”), several previously-announced awards were handed out. David Shepheard, vp of Martini Film Studios, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to supervising location manager Sue Quinn, known for her work on the “Fantastic Beasts,” “Harry Potter” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchises.
The Trailblazer Award was given to location manager Bill Bowling, known for his work on films such as “Jupiter Ascending” and “Cloud Atlas.” Location Guide commercial director Clara Le presented.
The Motion Picture & Television Fund was bestowed with the Guild’s Humanitarian Award, recognizing the MPTF’s commitment to health and social services to the entertainment community. The award was presented by Camilla Belle (“Law and Order”) and accepted behalf of the MPTF by the Fund’s director of community social services Jennifer Jorge.
Additional presenters included Helena-Alexis Seymour (“Chronicles of Jessica Wu”), Kate Linder (“Young and the Restless”), Doug Jones (“The Shape of Water”), 10-time Olympic swimming medalist Gary Hall Jr.; and AFCI executive director Jaclyn Philpott.
The list of competitive winners follows:
OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A PERIOD TELEVISION SERIES
“Fallout”
Paul Kramer, Chris Arena, Mandi Dillin / LMGI, David Park / LMGI, Paul van der Ploeg
OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION SERIES
“Fargo” Season 5
Mohammad Qazzaz / LMGI, Luke Antosz / LMGI
OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A TV SERIAL PROGRAM, ANTHOLOGY, MOW OR LIMITED SERIES
“Ripley”
Robin Melville / LMGI, Giuseppe Nardi / LMGI, Fabio Ferrante, Shane Haden
OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A PERIOD FEATURE FILM
“Oppenheimer”
Justin Duncan /LMGI, Dennis Muscari, Patty Carey-Perazzo, T.C. Townsen
OUTSTANDING LOCATIONS IN A CONTEMPORARY FEATURE FILM
“Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1”
David Campbell-Bell, Enrico Latella / LMGI, Jonas Fylling Christiansen, Niall O’Shea, Ben Firminger
Most people plan to show up for a new job well-prepared—but few are as ready for action as Walton Goggins was for Fallout. In a new interview, the actor talked about how he crafted his Emmy-nominated performance, bringing layers of nuance and complexity to a character that starts off in the show’s timeline as a 1950s movie cowboy, then pops up hundreds of years later as a noseless outlaw roaming the nuclear wastelands.
Speaking to Vulture, Goggins—a veteran actor who’s long been crafting memorable characters on TV (Justified, Deadwood, The Righteous Gemstones, The Shield, Invincible) and in movies (Predators, The Hateful Eight, Ant-Man and the Wasp)—gave a peek inside his acting process. To say it’s both thorough and detail-obsessed would be an understatement.
“[I] watched a lot of movies that I have seen before in preparation for this, really kind of looking not so much for the Ghoul, even though that was a part of it, but Cooper Howard. He is a 1950s western-movie star. So I really wanted to understand who his contemporaries were. What jobs did he lose out on? What jobs did he get?,” Goggins told Vulture.
He thought about Howard’s path to Hollywood stardom—in Goggins’ mind, he was a charismatic guy who was good at riding horses and just sort of fell into show biz—and studied, in particular, Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He also read the Fallout script 250 times, something he learned to do from former co-star Anthony Hopkins, and that helps him absorb the material intuitively: “Your ego really has to get out of the way.”
To get into the Ghoul’s mindset specifically, Goggins really focused on the mental transformation Howard went thorough all those years in the post-apocalypse. “Whenever you say, on paper, Oh, he’s been alive for 200 years. That’s hard to wrap your head around,” Goggins said.
He continued. “I don’t think about it in those terms. It’s like, let’s break down these 200 years. What does that really look like? Day one: What happened in the moment after the bomb dropped? Did he wake up five days later? Did he get up immediately? … Then I thought, what was it like the first time somebody tried to kill him for food or water, for resources? Right? What was it like the first day he had to kill someone for those very things? And the disintegration of a true morality—what is your true north? And the disintegration of everything he knew. He comes from a moral into an amoral existence.”
Fallout season one is now streaming on Prime Video; the Ghoul’s journey will continue in season two.
Cat Quest III departs from the first two games of this light-hearted action-adventure series in a variety of ways, especially with its pirate-themed naval combat. Still, it also retains a lot of familiar gameplay mechanics and concepts that ensure if you played the previous games, you’ll feel right at home. Whether you’re a returning player well-versed in Cat Quest’s history, or you’re brand new to the franchise, we’ve compiled a solid list of tips to help you get started in this feline-focused adventure. – Billy Givens Read More
The streamer that gave you “Maisel Day” is doing it again, this time for its Emmy-nominated drama “Fallout.” Amazon MGM Studios has struck deals with 33 local Los Angeles businesses to give away free or discounted goodies across town on August 15.
Dubbed “All Out for Fallout Day,” the event is inspired by the show’s “Vault 33” set. Deals across the region includes 33-cent ice cream scoops at Sweet Rose Creamery, $3.33 bagels and a Nuka Cola at Hank’s Bagels, free “Fallout” donuts at Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, 33-cent double burgers at The Win~Dow and more. Prime Video has also partnered with Grubhub to offer a “Fallout” gift to users who make select purchases.
Beyond food, “All Out for Fallout” will also include both deals and immersive experiences at the vintage clothing store Wasteland, Sunset Ranch as well as Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier:
At Wasteland, some retro-themed clothing will be sold at 33% off, while the store’s Melrose Avenue location will feature props and costumes from the show. Pacific Park’s ferris wheel will be turned in to a “Fallout” experience and Churrita Churros will include 33-cent concessions. A photo op will also be available next to the Power Armor and “Fallout” backdrop.
As for Sunset Ranch, Amazon is partnering with Sunset Ranch for 33-cent “Guided Ghoul Horseback” riding tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT in Beachwood Canyon. Views will include the Griffith Park Observatory, which is featured in “Fallout.”
The full list of partners for “All Out for Fallout Day” include Amoeba Music, Beignet Box, Boba Guys Culver City, Boba Guys Topanga Village, Canter’s Fairfax, Clark Street Diner, Creamy Boys Ice Cream, Desert 5 Spot, Elliott Salter Pawnshop, GLOSS, Grubhub, Hank’s Bagels, Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen DTLA, Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen Eagle Rock, Kismet Rotisserie Los Feliz, Kismet Rotisserie Studio City, LA Video Games, LOQUI Culver City, LOQUI DTLA, Los Angeles Ale Works, Mels Drive in, Muscle Lab, Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, Pitfire Pizza, Sunset Ranch Hollywood, Sweet Rose Creamery, Sweetfin Larchmont, The Brig, The Dinghy Deli & Wine Bar, The Win~Dow, Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, Trejo’s Hollywood Cantina and Wasteland.
Based on the game franchise, “Fallout” was nominated for 17 Emmy awards including outstanding drama series, outstanding writing and outstanding lead actor for star Walton Goggins.
Here’s a map of where to find the goodies on August 15:
As you wander the wasteland of Appalachia, you may notice what looks like an oddly dressed ghoul stumbling down the cracked pavement toward you. It’s actually a Scorched, which isn’t anything special, but lately you might’ve seen them dressed in holiday attire. The bright red and white frock of a Scorched Wanderer stands out in the bleak post-apocalypse, and if you manage to beat your fellow survivors to the punch, you can actually farm Holiday Scorched in Fallout 76 for fantastic rewards. Why would you want to? Well, read on. – Brandon Morgan Read More
Genre content doesn’t always do well at the Emmys but this year, it’s getting some love. Fallout, What We Do in the Shadows, and X-Men ’97 each got a nomination for the best show in the drama, comedy, and animation categories this year.
Fallout has the steepest competition in the drama category, up against another genre show in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, plus The Crown, The Gilded Age, The Morning Show, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Slow Horses, and Shōgun. In comedy, What We Do in the Shadows will face off against Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Palm Royale, and Reservation Dogs. Over in animation, X-Men ’97 is nominated alongside Blue Eye Samurai, Bob’s Burgers, Scavengers Reign, and The Simpsons.
Walton Goggins also got a lead actor nomination for his work in Fallout, which is exciting though winning will be tough against Idris Elba in Hijack, Donald Glover in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Gary Oldman in Slow Horses, Hiroyuki Sanada in Shōgun, and Dominic West in The Crown. Matt Berry also got a lead acting nomination for What We Do in the Shadows but his competition is also stiff; he’s up against Larry David for Curb Your Enthusiasm, Steve Martin and Martin Short for Only Murders in the Building, Jeremy Allen White for The Bear, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai for Reservation Dogs.
You can see the full list of nominees at this link. The awards will be given on September 15.
