Fallout Series Trailer Is Here, SXSW Brings Vault and Wasteland to Life in Austin

John Nguyen

Prime Video has released a new poster and the official trailer for the live-action series, Fallout, based on the video game franchise from Bethesda Softworks. In addition, it’s been announced that all episodes will be released on April 11, 2024.

The story follows Ella Purnell as Vault Dweller Lucy, Aaron Moten as a Brotherhood of Steel member, and Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, and the trailer is jam-packed with memorable moments from the video games.

Fans of the video game franchise will appreciate the many nods including the vault door opening, the Vault Dweller parties, the Vault Boy bobblehead, the sound of the radiation, “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” by The Ink Spots, the dangerous Wasteland, the Brotherhood of Steel’s Power Armor, a dog companion, a deadly robot, New California Republic faction, radroach and many more.

Executive producer Jonathan Nolan explained during the press conference for the trailer premiere that he wanted to make himself happy when making the show and why trying to please the fans is a fool’s errand.

Fallout Activation at SXSW

Render of the Fallout Activation

This weekend is also the start of SXSW in Austin, and Prime Video is back at the iconic Hotel San José (1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX). Fans will be immersed in a post-apocalyptic world as they get to become a Vault Dweller and explore the Wasteland for the first time, just like Lucy.

Here’s the description of the activation below:

Prime Video will be transforming the Hotel San José parking lot on March 8th from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and March 9th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. into Filly, a bustling wasteland shanty-town outside of the Vaults that appears to be the result of nuclear fallout. With junk, repurposed vehicles and rust serving as the town’s backbone, guests (or fellow vault dwellers) will enter Filly through an old sewer tunnel, where they will be greeted by local residents (and maybe a few radroaches here and there) warning them about the harsh reality they are about to experience.

Venturing through Filly (which is teeming with activity and filled with easter eggs from the series), attendees will witness how unpleasant and dangerous outside of the Vaults actually is, as they take in sights and sounds from wandering lazeabouts and aggressive locals selling their wares and what seems to be the local cuisine. If they’re lucky, the locals will point them to the thing they need most: bottle caps. Collect some for trade, and maybe the wasteland won’t be so bad.

Further into the settlement, guests will come across some locals playing the ‘Shell Game’ (wait, is that an eyeball?!) in front of Ma June’s, the local sundries and trading post where the friendly shopkeeper will teach them a thing or two about collecting bottle caps. They will also be able to use the ‘Vault 33 Resident Portal (Va.R.P.)’ to complete scavenger quests, where photographing the wasteland, hunting for pre-war artifacts and interacting with the various elements throughout the town can earn them even more bottle caps. Fair warning: they may encounter a feral ghoul along the way.

Attendees will be able to bite on some snacks like Fancy Lad Snack Cakes or a cut of ass jerky before they try their hand at lassoing the (sort-of) taxidermied, wasteland creatures or test their shot with ‘Junk Jets’ in the shooting gallery. Don’t forget to snap a photo in the futuristic, yet post-apocalyptic dentist’s chair (where guests will notice that the doctor might like teeth just a little too much), with the power armor or even in front of the feral ghoul cage. While adventuring through Filly, visitors may even witness the town’s rival factions engaging in fisticuffs over the fate of a rumored vault dweller.