Critics and audiences have raved about Fallout, and the Prime Video series even has people who never played the games researching how Ghouls are created and other details. After Fallout's ending brought teases of New Vegas, non-gamers have to be wondering why so many franchise vets are freaking out. As a gamer who played the franchise heavily, I can shed some light on that.
I spent arguably too many hours in college playing Fallout: New Vegas and only recently started playing the game again via Xbox Game Pass. Here's a basic gist for the uninformed on what they should know about New Vegas, followed by my theory for gamers on where things will stand with the city in Season 2.
Why Gamers Are Excited About New Vegas
The Wasteland has its safe zones, but those are usually run by some militaristic faction with enough firepower to turn any opposition into shreds. New Vegas is an anomaly in that it is well-protected from the outside elements and run by Mr. House with the help of the Three Families, who are as follows:
- Chairmen
- Omertas
- White Glove Society
These families run the major casinos in New Vegas, and were powerful enough to force the New California Republic (which was referenced in Season 1) into signing a treaty that allows both sides to operate without conflict, regardless of the shadiness that can occur in the city. That was the story before the events of Fallout: New Vegas, but gamers who played the game may have a major question concerning where things stand in the live-action universe.
The Big Question Surrounding New Vegas In Fallout Season 2
One of the major story arcs in Fallout: New Vegas is that Mr. House — the former CEO of RobCo Industries seen in the private Vault-Tec meeting in Season 1 of the series — enlists the player's character for help in maintaining his role as the head of New Vegas when one of the other family heads attempts to move against him. The player is given several options to choose from, which include helping Mr. House (who exists primarily in a computer mainframe at this point) become even more powerful, betraying him and taking control of the city, or a few other outcomes.
We know that Fallout: New Vegas took place 15 years before the events of the episodic series (available to streamwith a Prime subscription), but the problem is that there are so many outcomes in the game that it's impossible to know what the actual, concrete canonical events are by the time Hank arrives outside the town. Is Mr. House still around, or is someone else running the show? I have some thoughts.
Why I Feel Confident Mr. House Is Alive And Still Running New Vegas
When speculating about what New Vegas will be like in the Fallout series, one has to consider what we saw. As mentioned, we saw Mr. House make a brief cameo already in the Vault-Tec meeting, and we know from the big finale reveals that he played a role in helping expedite the nuclear disaster worldwide. It was also firmly established that many of these privileged people had the means to survive hundreds of years in hopes of ruling the world when things settled down.
Assuming the TV series adapts the events of the game, Mr. House finds a way to survive that differs from the cryogenic pods, but to prevent spoilers, I'll just say that he assures the player he is "very much alive" when questioned. Given the show made sure to establish characters from the past have survived, this will better explain Mr. House's own extended lifespan.
Finally, why else would Hank travel to New Vegas? He seems to think he has an ally there, and considering he worked for Vault-Tec before the disaster, he may indeed have an in with Mr. House. For that reason, I believe that despite whatever players did in the game, Mr. House is alive and well, which could mean that the main "Courier" character either solidified his reign, or exposed Benny as a traitor before he could move against him. It's also possible someone else got Benny, and the player's Courier was left for dead in a grave in Good Springs, which would be a hilarious callback to the start of the game if it shows up in live-action. I guess we'll see in time!
Fallout is still available to stream on Prime Video for those who played the games and still haven't checked it out. For those that have, now is the perfect time to peep what other upcoming video game movies and shows are on the way, because Hollywood is on a hot streak as of late with quality adaptations.
