Fallout TV Show Helped The “Quirky” Game Series Be Embraced By Wider Audience, Phil Spencer Says

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has commented on the success of the Fallout TV series on Prime Video, saying it helped the “quirky” Fallout game series appeal to a wider audience.

This was made possible, he said at a Variety event, in part because of the creative trust and collaboration between Fallout executive producer Jonathan Nolan and game developer Todd Howard from Bethesda.

“It was critical early on to have that creative trust so that our game teams could both understand what they brought to the equation in terms of the world, the setting, some of the camp humor, but also be willing to step back and let another very talented creator take the reins in a medium that we don’t have an expertise in,” Spencer said. “Anytime we try to do something new it should be advancing what that world is. One thing I really loved about the television show is it made the somewhat quirky world of Fallout more accessible to more people.”

The Fallout TV show on Prime Video reached more than 100 million viewers, becoming the network’s second-biggest show ever after The Rings of Power. A second season is in the works now, and Macaulay Culkin recently joined the cast.

Also in the interview, Spencer said no one should expect Microsoft to make a TV show or movie out of every single one of its franchises. In the end, it will come down to whether the creative partnership is right.

“We don’t have to do a television show or a movie for any of the individual properties, so it better be something that we do with someone we trust, with someone we think will raise the bar for what the franchise stands for,” Spencer said.

In addition to Fallout Season 2, Microsoft is working with Netflix on a Gears of War TV show and movie. Then there’s the Minecraft movie with Jack Black, which releases in 2025. A TV show based on the game Grounded is also in the works.