The Fallout TV show has a huge lore error that completely contradicts one of the games

Fans are so confused Bethesda has now had to speak out and clarify


The Fallout TV show is absolutely incredible, and Amazon have done a near faultless job on adapting the games in a way that is thrilling for fans and not alienating to newbies to Bethesda’s iconic game series. Fallout the TV show has been described as canon by Bethesda as a company before it even started airing, and it takes place after all the games – but now one lore error spotted by fans has caused chaos and Bethesda has had to clarify what the hell is going on.

Warning: Episode six of Fallout spoilers ahead. 

The dates aren’t dating and the math ain’t mathing

The error comes in the form of the nuclear bombing of the capital of NCR (New California Republic) and its capital Shady Sands. We see in the show that Maximus is from there, and Lucy sees in the classroom of Vault 4 a blackboard with some historical dates on it that she doesn’t know because she’s been deep in Vault 33.

The TV show dates this blowing up at 2277 – but this allegedly contradicts what we know of Shady Sands in the games. In Fallout: New Vegas, NCR forces were still up to tricks after the bombing year the TV show says. Bethesda studio design director Emil Pagliarulo clarified the timeline of when the games and show was set on Twitter, but just made things worse because the Fallout: New Vegas setting is four years after the show says NCR was nuked.

People replied to Pagliarulo’s tweet explaining their confusion. “New Vegas isn’t canon, thanks to the show,” one fan pointed out. “The events of New Vegas takes place in 2281 where Shady Sands is doing just fine. Isn’t this a major retcon?” wrote another.

It’s all a bit of a mess, but who cares – the show still slaps.

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