Todd Howard revealed Fallout 5 secrets to the Fallout TV show’s creators to avoid similarities

Bethesda’s Todd Howard shared details on Fallout 5 with the Fallout TV show’s creators, to avoid them coming up with similar ideas.

In an interview with Den of Geek, Howard, Jonathan Nolan – who’s a writer, director and executive producer on the show – and showrunner Graham Wagner explained that the series is an entirely new story set in the Fallout universe.

Nolan caused confusion among fans earlier this month when, while discussing the show with Total Film, he said: “It’s almost like we’re Fallout 5. I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but it’s just a non-interactive version of it, right?”

However, in this new interview Nolan explains that while the show is set in the same universe and timeline of the Fallout games, it’s neither designed to replace nor recount the events of the upcoming Fallout 5 game.

Speaking of the benefits of making an original show in the Fallout universe, he explained: “It means you have all of the benefit of beautiful storytelling that Todd and [Bethesda] has contributed to, but we also get to tell an original story within that world. As writers and filmmakers, it’s just a dream come true.”

“I think we made Fallout 6,” Wagner then replied, to which Nolan joked: “We know all about Fallout 5, we’re not telling anyone.”

Howard then clarified these jokes by explaining that he did indeed share some details on Fallout 5 with the show’s creators, if not perhaps the full thing.

“Well, there were some things where I said, ‘Don’t do this because we are going to do that in Fallout 5’,” he explained.

Howard also reiterated that the Fallout show will be a separate story from the games, saying: “It wasn’t the translation of an existing story. It was, what would the next thing be? It just happens to be a TV show.”

All episodes of the Fallout TV show will be made available on Amazon Prime Video on April 11.

Starring Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins and Aaron Moten, the show is being produced by Kilter Films, the production company behind HBO’s Westworld.

Fallout 5, however, is significantly further away, with Howard stating back in 2022 that Bethesda was prioritising Starfield then The Elder Scrolls 6 before it, meaning it could still be some time before anything concrete is shown.