Fallout: New Vegas director Josh Sawyer has lauded Amazon's television adaptation of the franchise, calling it "one of the best adaptations of a video game franchise" he has seen. Sawyer, who served as director and designer on Obsidian's acclaimed 2010 RPG, shared his positive assessment in a recent interview with The 41st Precinct.
While acknowledging that the bar for video game adaptations is often low, Sawyer expressed significant enthusiasm for the series. He noted that while any writer might have minor disagreements with plot or character choices, he doesn't consider these "real criticisms." He specifically praised Justin Theroux's portrayal of Mr. House, clarifying that while he didn't create the character, he found Theroux's performance excellent and is eager to see where the character's story goes.
Sawyer also addressed fan concerns regarding the show's accuracy to the games. He had the opportunity to visit the set for Season 2 and observed that locations like the vault and Freeside closely resembled their game counterparts. He acknowledged that the layouts weren't identical, using the example of the Dinky the T-Rex statue in Novac.
In Fallout: New Vegas, Dinky faces away from the town, serving as a sniper perch. The Amazon show, however, rotated the statue 180 degrees to face the motel. This change was made to facilitate a scene where protagonist Lucy acts as a sniper. While some fans expressed dissatisfaction with Dinky facing the "wrong way," Sawyer understood the narrative necessity. "I get why people get upset about that, but also the scene wouldn't work at all because it's about Lucy firing into the thing or whatever," he explained, adding that he "wasn't personally really bent out of shape about it."
Looking ahead, Sawyer noted that while Season 2 is set in New Vegas, the show is charting its own narrative path, distinct from the plots of the games. The conclusion of Season 2 has set the stage for Season 3 in Colorado, a region previously envisioned as the setting for a canceled Fallout 3 project codenamed "Van Buren," on which Sawyer also worked.
This shift to Colorado promises to explore new territory within the Fallout canon, expanding the established lore. The Fallout television series is set after the events of the games and is considered canon within the overarching storyline. Pre-production for Season 3 has begun, with filming scheduled to commence in Los Angeles. The upcoming season will feature new cast members including Manny Jacinto, Thomasin McKenzie, Emily Mortimer, and Aaron Paul, whom Bethesda's Todd Howard described as a long-time Fallout fan.