Fallout: London's New Lore Opens Up Exciting Possibilities, But There's A Catch

Summary Players can explore post-apocalyptic London in Fallout: London mod on PC.

Fallout franchise mainly focuses on the US, with no official plans for other countries.

DLCs like Mothership Zeta & Far Harbor show potential for exploring beyond US borders.

Players of Fallout 4 recently got an amazing treat in the form of Fallout: London, transplanting the action from Boston to England's capital. As a total conversion mod Fallout: London replaces Fallout 4, allowing the post-apocalyptic city to be explored and 20 new factions to be met. This is the first time fans of the franchise have had a chance to peek outside of the United States and this has many curious about the rest of the world.

This fantastic mod is currently only available on PC and is designed to override Fallout 4 once Fallout: London is installed. With a map the size of Fallout 4's Boston and Far Harbor rolled into one, there is plenty to do and areas to explore, with developers Team FOLON saying there are at least 90 hours of content. And as players dive into this intriguing new setting, more lore and context for pre-war London is coming to light, albeit with a slight catch.

Related Fallout: London Understands Why The Series’ Settings Are So Important Where a title is set has always been important to Fallout games, whether that be the Mojave or Boston, and Fallout: London understands this well.

Fallout Players Are Interested In The World Outside The US

Fallout: London Shows A Desire For Expanded Lore

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Fallout: London’s story and setting are doing an amazing job of filling in some of the questions many longtime Fallout fans have had about what was happening in the rest of the world. However, as incredible as it is to have any information about the UK or Europe during the Resource Wars, all of Fallout: London’s lore is not canon because it is a mod. That doesn’t mean, though, that it hasn’t reignited the question of whether or not Bethesda would ever set an official Fallout game outside of the US, despite Todd Howard saying otherwise.

Canon is the word used to describe when something officially belongs to a fictional world. For example, all main Fallout titles are considered canon, as are the tabletop games. However, canceled works such as Van Buren and Fallout Extreme, as well as fan-made mods, are non-canon.

No Plans For Main Fallout Game Set Outside US

Main Titles Should Stick To The United States, But DLCs Offer An Alternative

In an interview in April 2024 with Kinda Funny Games, Bethesda Executive Producer Todd Howard explained that he has no plans to take Fallout outside of the United States. Speaking with host Greg Miller, Howard said: “​My view is part of the Fallout schtick is on the Americana naivete and part of that. And so, for us right now, it’s okay to acknowledge some of those other areas but our plans are to predominately keep it in the US.”

As Howard says, Bethesda plans to predominately keep Fallout in the US but also acknowledge other areas. This makes complete sense given the Americana aesthetic, with themes of pre-war extremist capitalism and a wry look at the militaristic mindset that makes war inevitable. Both of Bethesda’s Fallout offerings have used America’s history and patriotism as key themes, weaving the nation’s past in with Fallout lore to great effect.

With Fallout's permanent setting seemingly confirmed at first glance, it looks like the rest of the world will have to be content with mods and theories. However, that might not necessarily be the case and one of the ways Bethesda could do this is through DLCs. The interest in and success of Fallout: London would certainly make a strong case that there are enough people curious about the mysterious world beyond the borders of the US that a DLC could be justified.

A Fallout DLC Could Offer Travel Options

Mothership Zeta & Far Harbor Have Already Set A Precedent

Having a Fallout DLC set somewhere other than the continental United States is not a new idea for the franchise. Fallout 3’s fifth DLC, Mothership Zeta, took the Lone Wanderer into space after being abducted from the Captial Wasteland by aliens. On board the ship, the Lone Wanderer was given tantalizing glimpses of Earth, although the amount of nuclear fallout still in the atmosphere made it difficult to make out any details of other continents.

After a DLC on a spaceship, the idea of going to Canada, Mexico, or the UK isn’t too outlandish. Not all questions about the world need to be answered, as Howard said in the Kinda Funny Games interview: “I also like in any sort of world, I don’t feel the need to answer. It’s OK to leave mystery or questions: what is happening here? What is happening here? I think those are good things. In Elder Scrolls everybody wants to go to these other, specific lands. The worst thing you could do to mysterious lands is remove the mysteriousness. Keep mysterious lands mysterious!”

However, a DLC would be perfect for telling smaller stories in the same way Far Harbor did. It didn’t answer the question of what life is like in Maine or where was hit by a bomb, instead the DLC focused on a small community in an isolated area. A DLC set in another country would allow more lore about the world to be discovered but without committing to a full game or losing that unique Fallout feel that is so intrinsically connected to the United States.

Related Every Fallout 4 DLC, Ranked (& Which Ones Are Worth Buying) Fallout 4 has some great DLCs available offering a mixture of settlement building and questlines. But which ones are best and worth getting?

Smaller Stories In A DLC Would Still Keep The Necessary Mystery Of The World

New Lore, Factions & Characters Could Expand On The State Of Other Countries

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Having smaller stories about other countries would allow for a much more flexible approach to learning about post-apocalyptic Earth. It would let players enjoy exploring a new setting in the Fallout universe and give some context for other countries. New factions, characters, issues, and themes could be delved into much in the same way Fallout: London has for the UK and Europe by expanding on what was happening across the Atlantic pre-war.

It would also provide an opportunity to see the unique Fallout satirical take on other cultures, especially through the eyes of an American protagonist. A DLC would also be a great way to introduce new lore and expand on the small hints that have been given over the years. In the past, characters such as Allistair Tenpenny, Raul Tejada, and Colin Moriarty have offered glimpses of other nations either through dialogue or terminal entries.

As well as offering a nod to fans from other countries, a DLC set outside the US would provide the chance to keep things fresh and give those who wanted the DLC the option to step away from the typical Fallout fare for something new. There could even be the potential to utilize Fallout 4’s settlement system to establish trade routes or alliances over much greater distances. However, with no official word on Fallout 5’s release date on the horizon, Fallout: London offers a great way to get a new Fallout experience, even if it is non-canon.

Source: Kinda Funny Games/YouTube