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Todd Howard says Bethesda isn't planning another TV series, even after Fallout's success

Howard has apparently been saying no to TV adaptations for a long time and Fallout was simply a 'right-place-right-time' situation.

TJ Denzer

April 11, 2024 3:00 PM

Image via Amazon Prime

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Amazon’s Fallout TV series is out, and by many accounts, it is fantastic. But don’t start looking forward to a possible Elder Scrolls TV series or other Bethesda IP series anytime soon. Todd Howard says nothing is in the works and probably won’t be unless the right director comes along for the job. Despite Fallout doing so well, Howard even claimed that he didn’t expect the studio would be interested in an adaptation, and he’s turned away offers to do other TV series quite a bit over the years.

These revelations come out of a recent interview with IGN where Todd Howard spoke to the success and aftermath of the Fallout show. Simply put, when asked if Bethesda was considering other IP for TV or movie adaptations, Howard said no.

“There's nothing in the works. Everybody asks, like, about Elder Scrolls, and I keep saying no also,” Howard told the interviewer.

It’s worth noting that Howard doesn’t go absolute in his response. After all, the Fallout TV series happened and Howard had been saying no to proposals for a TV show for years.

“You never know when something's gonna click. I can’t predict the future,” Howard added, speaking to how the current show was made. "[A Fallout show] is something that I said no to for like, a decade. I met [Jonathan Nolan], and I love his work." said Howard. “He and I kind of hit it off… I felt like, 'hey, do you wanna do this? I'd like to approach it like it's another entry in the games'... It wasn't forced. It was kind of a natural relationship.”

And so, it seems the prospect is possible if the right person comes along at the right time, but don’t expect Fallout New Vegas or Elder Scrolls: Skyrim adaptations anytime soon until that magic happens again. Meanwhile, we loved Season 1 of the Fallout TV series, check out our review and stay tuned for further coverage.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.