Fallout games are getting a big halo effect from the popularity of Amazon Prime’s Fallout streaming show that debuted last week.
Steam data tracker SteamDB said that Bethesda’s Fallout games more than doubled their concurrent player numbers on Steam with the release of the Fallout show, IGN reported.
Those games include Fallout 4 (released in 2015), Fallout: New Vegas (2010) and Fallout 76 (2020). Fallout 76 hit a new peak of concurrent players of 39,455. On top of that, the mobile game Fallout Shelter is also hitting new peaks, according to market researcher Sensor Tower.
Fallout Shelter in the U.S. rose into the top 10 iOS games for free games, hitting No. 7, which is its highest position since June 2018. And daily downloads increased by 20% in the 24 hours preceding the show’s premier last week. That’s pretty good for a game that is nearly a decade old.
“This sharp uptick shows the impact of mobile when an IP expands into new mediums like film and TV,” said Rachit Moti, CEO of Layer, in an email to GamesBeat. “Outside of mobile, the mainline entries on PC have all seen positive upticks in users, with Fallout 76 seeing an almost 17% gain in players, according to Steam data. Unsurprisingly, the two games with live service elements — 76 and Shelter — have shown the most traction due to their tie-in activities of new outfits and characters connected to the show. It’s important to remember that the show is still relatively new, and we will only see the full impact of this adaptation in the weeks ahead.”
Older games which aren’t owned by Bethesda are also growing. like Fallout 2 and the original Fallout. Numbers for the consoles aren’t available, but Microsoft’s Bethesda Game Studios thanked all the new players.
Fallout 4 has become the top-selling game on Steam by revenue, edging out Counter-Strike 2 and Helldivers 2. Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout 76, and Fallout New Vegas have also climbed into the top ranks. On social media, lots of people are talking about how good the show is and how it has inspired them to play.
Nintendo said that its Mario games were getting a lift from the success last year of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which generated $1.36 billion in revenue at the box office.
Bethesda Game Studios acknowledged the resurgence in Fallout games and thanked fans for the support. Bethesda offered a lot of support for the games with promotions with the release of the streaming series. Bethesda announced an upcoming release for an update for Fallout 4 on April 25. And while Fallout 5 is in the works, it’s not coming anytime soon.