
One of the best eras of gaming came with the release of the Fallout series. These games, which place you in a terrifying post-apocalyptic world, have gained global popularity due to their amazing storytelling and excellent gameplay, leading to millions of sales around the world and a legacy as one of the best dystopian RPG series of all time. Since the first game came out back in 1997, the series has had time to grow and prosper, so we’re going to take a look at some Fallout statistics from the first game to the present and see how the series performed in the past, and where it is going in the future. We’re glad to be presenting Fallout in particular because it’s such an iconic franchise, but that is not all. If you’re interested in similar topics, we can also tell you how much the video game industry is worth!
Fallout key stats
Like anything good, it’s best to start with the basics. Fallout is a global franchise, so it’s bound to have accumulated millions of sales across all of its games, so we’ll start from there, and examine other aspects of the game from revenue to the latest news about upcoming additions to the series and anything else you can imagine!
The Fallout series has sold 46.4 million copies across all of its games.
(Source: VG Chartz)
- Fallout sold 600,000 copies.
- Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel sold 300,000 copies.
- Fallout 3 sold 12.4 million copies.
- Fallout: New Vegas sold 11.6 million copies.
- Fallout 4 sold 20 million copies.
- Fallout 76 sold 1.4 million copies.
There is a clear “golden age” for the Fallout franchise when you look at all of the games that they have released as well as all of their sales. The older games did not sell too many copies, but as the series got more defined and added more fleshed-out content, fans went feral and started buying them en masse, with the culmination being Fallout 4. Many fans consider Fallout 4 to be the best Fallout game in the series, with New Vegas being close behind.
Fallout 4 made $750 million on its first day.
(Source: CNET)
- The game shipped 12 million copies at launch, which was record-breaking.
- Of course, the number of games shipped does not equal the total games sold, so the $750 million was likely speculation on the potential revenue.
- Fallout 4 had 470,000 concurrent players on Steam on launch.
- Fallout 4 had a very successful launch compared to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which sold 7 million copies within 48 hours after launch.
We’ve just mentioned how popular Fallout 4 was at launch, but an even better way of portraying that is to see how much money the game earned on its first day on the market. $750 million is a massive number for any game to earn in a day, and another good way of looking at it is to consider the budget that the entire Destiny franchise needed to start the first game — $500 million. Fallout 4 made more than that in a day.
Fallout Shelter has made over $100 million in revenue.
(Source: SensorTower)
- Fallout Shelter is the first and only Fallout mobile game released in 2015.
- Since its release, the game has been grossing $68,000 on average.
- There is supposed to be a spin-off in China, and the game should be included in Tesla cars.
- 60% of the game’s revenue comes from the United States.
- 9% of the game’s revenue comes from the United Kingdom.
- 5% of the game’s revenue comes from Germany.
- 4% of the game’s revenue comes from Canada.
- 3.4% of the game’s revenue comes from Australia.
You might be surprised to learn that the Fallout franchise also has a mobile game called Fallout Shelter. The game is a construction and management sim where you have to manage a bunker full of apocalypse survivors, and it has been met with excellent reviews and has been quite successful, as the total revenue implies. It’s just another testament to the sheer quality of the Fallout series.
Fallout: New Vegas sold 5 million copies at launch and grossed $300 million.
(Source: GamesRadar)
- It took the game a few weeks to accumulate the 5 million sales.
- This was one of the most successful launches in Bethesda’s history.
- Bethesda also released a patch for the Fallout 3 modding tool.
- This made fans happy with the direction the series was going in, as the repair of prominent bugs and glitches was a much-needed change.
This is another example of Fallout’s excellent reception and the rising popularity of some of its newer games, as New Vegas performed about half as well as Fallout 4, and with good reason as the game is older and it wasn’t as hyped as its successor, but it was still an impressive launch nonetheless.
Fallout 76 hit 13 million players on the series’ 25th anniversary.
(Source: Kitguru)
- This was a 2 million player increase compared to 2021.
- The total number of players does not necessarily come from total game sales, given that game passes are also a possibility.
- Even though Fallout 76 was met with harsh criticism when it came out, the game’s reputation eventually improved as new content was added.
This is a bit of an interesting bump in Fallout 76’s performance as it was not as well-received as the other games and received some harsh criticism, but it seems as though it has been bouncing back and getting improvements with each passing update. Nevertheless, the game has seen quite a few players since it came out and has been performing relatively well, all things considered.
Fallout 3 outsold all of its predecessors in 2008.
(Source: Games Industry)
- The game’s first-week sales were 57% better than The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’s first-week sales.
- 55% of all sales were for Microsoft, 28% for Sony’s platform, and 17% for PC.
- Fallout 3 beat Fable II on the All Formats charts and took first place with games like FIFA 09, Wii Fit, and PES 2009 trailing behind it.
This is the point where the franchise started to take off when it comes to sales and general market performance as Fallout 3 was incredibly well-received and is the favorite game of many members of the community. Another big achievement for the game was the fact that it managed to outsell some of the heavy hitters in the industry such as Fable and FIFA.
Fallout 76’s launch was 48% worse than Fallout 4.
(Sources: TheWertzone, VG247, VGR)
- The game had a poor launch in general, with horrible glitches and bugs that made the game almost unplayable, even by Bethesda standards.
- The game’s UK sales were 82% lower than Fallout 4’s.
- Digital spending in November 2018 was dominated by Fortnite and Red Dead Redemption 2, with Bethesda and EA hitting rough patches.
- The game was outsold by Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Battlefield 5.
Besides the poor reception of the game, the launch period of Fallout 76 is another important indicator that something was wrong right from the start because the game had neither the hype nor the sales of Fallout 4. This was attributed to the fact that the game was riddled with bugs, but also to the fact that its competition was Red Dead Redemption 2, one of the best games of all time.
Fallout 4 is getting a next-gen update in 2023.
(Sources: Twitter, Ginx)
- Fallout 4’s constant popularity has warranted the release of a next-gen update in 2023.
- The update should come to the Xbox Series, PC, and PlayStation 5, with additions like performance modes for high FPS, bug fixes, Creation Club content, and Quality Mode.
- No exact release date has been given, although it will definitely come in 2023.
- The necessity for the update was highlighted by the game getting older, as well as the 25th anniversary of the franchise.
Fans of the critically-acclaimed Fallout 4 are about to get an excellent treat in 2023 because the game is going to get a next-gen update with all of the bells and whistles, similar to the treatment that The Witcher 3 received. While we can imagine what the update will look like in the end, it will be a very refreshing sight since Fallout 4, while still good, is showing its age.
A Fallout 4 mod added 50 quests and a new ending.
(Source: PC Gamer)
- The mod is so expansive that it can be compared to a DLC.
- It adds two residential districts, a commercial district, two restaurants, and the Fens Sheriff’s Department.
- These areas also include 15 completely new NPCs with custom voice acting.
- The mod has 17,500 voice lines.
- It is an excellent show of the community’s dedication to making content for this game.
The world of modding is known for its dedication to certain games with big communities, and Fallout 4 has one such community. They pump out some amazing mods all of the time, but The Fens Sheriff’s Department is out of this world when you look at the sheer amount of content you get to enjoy. The mod is very expansive and can be considered akin to a DLC, which is just another testament to the dedication of Fallout 4 modders.
Obsidian Entertainment said that they would love to work on a Fallout: New Vegas remaster.
(Sources: GameSpot, Pure Xbox)
- The intention to remaster the game came from the positive reputation the game has had since its launch.
- The game has some stability issues and the graphics are outdated, so those are some additional reasons to consider a remaster.
- While there are no set plans or release dates set for the remaster, Tim Cain and Eric DeMilt have expressed enthusiasm for a possible remaster.
- The remaster of The Outer Worlds is another reason a New Vegas remaster is quite possible in the future.
Along with the Fallout 4 next-gen update announcement, the developers of New Vegas have also expressed some desire to remaster the game and bring it back to life. There is not much information about this to extrapolate further, but we’ll be sure to update this section when more information becomes available!
There is a Fallout TV show in development at Amazon.
(Sources: Pocket Lint, GameSpot)
- The show will not follow the storyline from the games, as a completely new story will be written.
- It should also keep the harsh tone of the games and add some ironic humor and B-movie fantasies.
- There is no set release date for the show yet, but all sources point to 2023 to be the release year.
- The executive producers working on the show are Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, Todd Howard, and James Altman.
- The showrunners are Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner.
And finally, we have to take a look at something that might make or break the presentation of the Fallout franchise outside of the game since video game adaptations in TV shows and movies are notoriously bad except for some exceptions. While some leaks and reports about the set of the Fallout series have stated that they look exactly like the games and that the setting is supposed to be ideal, we cannot gauge how successful it will be without more information. Time will tell.
To sum up
Okay, that would be all we have to say about one of the biggest RPG franchises in gaming history! From what we have shown here, we believe that it is apparent that you should definitely try playing Fallout if you haven’t already. This series can be considered one of the best things Bethesda has published so far, and we are all excited to see where the series is going in the future. From remasters to new games to TV shows, everything is possible for Fallout, and we’re going to be here for the ride no matter what. We sincerely hope that you have enjoyed the information we have presented here and that you have learned something new!
Sources
- “Fallout (Series)”. VG Chartz, 2018, https://www.vgchartz.com/game/226290/fallout/?region=All
- “Fallout 4 ships 12 million copies in one day, breaks records”. CNET, 2015, https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/fallout-4-ships-12-million-copies-in-one-day-breaks-records/
- “Fallout Shelter reaches $100m lifetime revenue”. Games Industry, 2019, https://www.gamesindustry.biz/fallout-shelter-reaches-usd100m-lifetime-revenue
- “Fallout: New Vegas sells 5 million copies, generates $300 million in revenue, says Bethesda”. GamesRadar, 2010, https://www.gamesradar.com/fallout-new-vegas-sells-5-million-copies-generates-300-million-in-revenue-says-bethesda/
- “Fallout 76 hits 13 million players as series celebrates 25th anniversary”. KitGuru, 2022, https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/fallout-76-hits-13-million-players-as-series-celebrates-25th-anniversary/
- “Fallout 3 outsells all previous titles in the series combined”. Games Industry, 2008, https://www.gamesindustry.biz/fallout-3-outsells-all-previous-titles-in-the-series-combined
- “Fallout 76 Was November’s Fourth Best-Selling Game”. VGR, 2019, https://www.vgr.com/fallout-76-sales-november-selling/
- “Fallout 76 Digital Sales Down Nearly 50 Percent Compared to Fallout 4’s Launch”. VG247, 2018, https://www.vg247.com/fallout-76-digital-sales-down-nearly-50-percent-compared-to-fallout-4s-launch
- “First-week sales and critical reception of FALLOUT 76 disappoint”. The Wertzone, 2018, https://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2018/11/first-week-sales-and-critical-reception.html
- “Fallout 4 Next-Gen Upgrade: Release Date Window, News, Graphics Modes”. Ginx, 2023, https://www.ginx.tv/en/fallout-4/next-gen-upgrade
- “Fallout 4 is getting a “Next-Gen” Update”. Twitter, 2022, https://twitter.com/BenjiSales/status/1584554988587872256
- “Fully voiced DLC-sized Fallout 4 mod adds 50 quests and a new ending”. PC Gamer, 2023, https://www.pcgamer.com/fully-voiced-dlc-sized-fallout-4-mod-adds-50-quests-and-a-new-ending/
- “Obsidian Wants To Make Fallout: New Vegas Remastered”. GameSpot, 2023, https://www.gamespot.com/articles/obsidian-wants-to-make-fallout-new-vegas-remastered/1100-6511908/
- “Fallout Creator Says New Vegas Remaster Would Be ‘Awesome'”. Pure Xbox, 2023, https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/02/fallout-creator-says-new-vegas-remaster-would-be-awesome
- “Amazon’s Fallout TV series: What we know so far about the Fallout show”. Pocket Lint, 2022, https://www.pocket-lint.com/tv/news/amazon/152813-new-fallout-tv-show-release-date-trailers-cast-plot-amazon-bethesda-nolan/
- “Fallout – Latest Trailer, Casting Announcements, And Everything We Know About The Prime Video TV Show”. GameSpot, 2023, https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-latest-trailer-casting-announcements-and-everything-we-know-about-the-prime-video-tv-show/1100-6510394/