Fallout TV show doesn't contradict canon, Bethesda's Todd Howard says

Todd Howard has assured Fallout fans that the franchise's recently-released TV show does not contradict the games' pre-established lore.

Please note, there will be Fallout spoilers below. If you are still to finish the show and want to keep as much a surprise as possible, this is your cue to head elsewhere.

Earlier this month, questions were raised about Fallout's Shady Sands and the settlement's demise. The show's sixth episode dates this event to the 2280s, which made fans scratch their heads - as they felt this date contradicted mentions of Shady Sands in the video game series set later on.

However, Bethesda's Todd Howard has stated the show's timeline of events is accurate, and doesn't interfere with the already-established Fallout canon. In an interview with IGN, Howard confirmed Shady Sands was nuked after the events of Fallout: New Vegas.

"There might be a little bit of confusion in some places. But everything that happened in the previous games, including New Vegas, happened," Howard said.

Officially, the Fallout show is set in 2296. Howard said that showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet were the ones who suggested incorporating the blowing up of Shady Sands into the series, and noted that he had initially found this idea as something of a shock. However, the team found a way to work it into the overall narrative.

As those who have watched the show will know, the demise of Shady Sands - and the effects of the blast on those who lived there and survived - serve as key story points for several characters (Hank was responsible for the bombing, Maximus survived the blast and decided to join the Brotherhood of Steel, Lucy's mother was turned into a ghoul, Moldaver withdrew to the Griffith Observatory). Essentially, the bombing of Shady Sands is as a catalyst for many of the show's events.

Howard said the team "talked through it", and knew it "would be a pretty impactful story moment that a lot of things anchor on". The Bethesda exec added that they were "careful about the timeline" throughout the show's production.

"All I can say is we're threading it tighter there, but the bombs fall just after the events of New Vegas," Howard concluded.

As for who dropped the very first bomb in Fallout? Well, the show may have answered that as well...

For more, be sure to check out Rick Lane's feature: What is the essence of Fallout, and does the TV show live up to it?