How Louisiana Fits Into the Fallout Franchise Lore

The Fallout video game series is one of the biggest franchises in history. The games in the series have sold over 38 million copies so far. In addition that, the game has now spun off into a streaming series from Amazon. Something few games have been able to do successfully...and it looks like Fallout is on their way to making that happen.

For those who aren't aware of what Fallout is, here's a brief rundown:

The Fallout series is a post-apocalyptic role playing series, with a retro-futuristic aesthetic. In the story, nuclear fusion engineering came along faster than in the real world. While this happened, it opened the door for incredible technology advancements faster than the fashion and decoration trends of the world moved. So while the look of many things felt like the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the creation of robotic home servants, fusion powered cars, and tactical power suits were all possible.

Because of the advancements with nuclear fusion, the speed and power of weaponized versions of the technology also spiraled out of control. As did the need for recourses because of our increased consumption. This led to national fighting among nuclear superpowers for natural resources.

There's plenty of narratives in the game for who actually started it, but eventually the Great War broke out, and nuclear weapons were detonated between China and the United States. Some theories say that Vault-Tech started the Great War, while others believe unstable governments were the cause.

Oh, Vault-Tech? Year, they're a huge part of the franchise. They're a defense contractor that created and built gigantic underground vaults that acted as bunkers to keep humans alive during the fallout from nuclear war. These vaults had all the elements needed to sustain small scale societies, often including "experiments" inside the vaults. The concept was that once the "all clear" was given, those in the vaults would emerge and rebuild the planet.

Well, not that we've had a cliff notes rundown on Fallout, lets talk about where Louisiana fits into the franchise. There will be two parts to this, the part that almost happen, and the part that's actually inside the games.

First, what was rumored to be in the works. That was Fallout: New Orleans. When Fallout 4 was being released, and the hype for a Fallout 5 game was starting, a Fallout game in New Orleans was a very hot topic.

The second part of Louisiana's place in Fallout lore has to do with one particular character, and his origins. The first, and only, mention on Louisiana inside the context of Fallout gameplay comes in Fallout 76. The character Initiate Ellison of The Brotherhood says that he was born in Louisiana. But explains that he doesn't remember much of it, because his family moved to West Virginia when he was young.

That's it, that's all Louisiana gets in the games.

While it isn't a lot, there are a bunch of states who don't get ANY mention in the series at all. Some of the states who do get a little more action inside the gameplay also don't have the constant rumor floating around that an entire Fallout game could be focused there...like Fallout: New Orleans has.

It would be incredible to see a New Orleans based Fallout eventually. But for now, we have Initiate Ellison, rumors, and fan fiction.