Fallout season 1 "emboldened" the Fallout 76 team to deliver a huge in-game crossover

Fallout 76 is the most recent game in the Fallout franchise, and its makers witnessed an explosion of interest when Amazon’s TV adaptation dropped.

"We saw a huge spike," creative director Jonathan Rush told Radio Times Gaming in an exclusive interview back in September (you can watch the whole video in the player above).

That sudden spike had a big impact on the team. Rush recalled: "It emboldened us, because what we saw were players who were experiencing that great story and setting that they were seeing in the Amazon series…

"And the folks working on that series were such big fans of the game, and they respect the style and the story, and people could see that in the way it was represented in the Amazon series…

"Those new players coming in wanted more of that kind of story, right? And so, it just kind of emboldened us to continue on those country roads we were already walking down, and continue telling our story and begin prepping for season two."

So, how big exactly was the spike around season 1? Rush remembered: "We had about a sixfold increase in players. It was substantial, but it was really fun. You get to see all these new players coming out of the Vault, and see all of our existing players helping them out, giving them things, helping them with quests, showing them how to do stuff. I thought it was really cool."

Bill LaCoste, senior prodcer at Bethesda, added a direct comparison at this point: "You were talking about what our other updates kind of replicated that? You know, we saw a lot of players come in for [big 2020 update] Wastelanders, but this [the TV show spike] surpassed that by a large margin.

"So, we saw a lot of players coming in that were brand new. We saw a lot of players coming in that had played the game previously, but hadn't logged in since 2018, 2019. And a lot of them were very surprised by what they saw. And they're like, ‘Oh, not only is the game still going, but like, it's a completely different game than what they remember’.

"It was stable. They were able to play. There was a lot more content. There were daily ops, there were more events, more bosses, things like that. And so, we just saw a really good influx of people come in, but then also, we heard their appreciation for the work that had gone into it.

"And that was really good for the team, to see that, and just to have the positive words being mentioned towards the team and the game, and how far it's come, and how well it's improved, or how much it improved."

That spike in players and goodwill motivated the team to "immediately prepare for season 2", in Rush’s words.

Back in the day for season 1, Fallout 76 players with an eye for connections to the TV series could simply pick up some cosmetic items, like Lucy’s backpack (styled on Ella Purnell’s costume from the show).

For season 2, the developers have gone all out, launching a major playable crossover — they’ve got Purnell’s TV co-star, Walton Goggins, to reprise his role as The Ghoul and lead a new bounty hunting experience.

"The Ghoul’s got a huge stack of these bounties," Rush teased. "He doesn't have time to do all these, so he needs you out there to help him."

"It was amazing watching him record these lines," Rush recounted. "I found it just astonishing seeing how quickly he could just transform into the Ghoul, and you're not hearing Walton Goggins anymore. You're hearing the Ghoul. To me, that was just magical."

Fallout 76: Burning Springs, featuring Walton Goggins, is available to play now.

Read more:

• Fallout season 2 review: A meandering return to the wasteland
• Fallout Shelter update adds TV crossover and first ever seasonal content
• Fallout season 2 has a "delicious idea" to avoid confirming New Vegas canon

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.