Jump to content

Fallout Shelter

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Filmgoer (talk | contribs) at 00:49, 21 June 2024 ("unnecessary microtransactions" makes it like it isn't up for debate; if someone adds it backs, reword along the lines of "microtransactions deemed unnecessary"). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For shelters to protect against radioactive fallout, see Fallout shelter. For the Island Records studio known as The Fallout Shelter, see 22 St Peter's Square.

Fallout Shelter
App icon
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Bethesda Softworks
Producer(s)Craig Lafferty
Designer(s)
  • Emmanuelle Hardy-Senecal
  • Tomas Henriquez
  • Janick Neveu
Programmer(s)
  • Federico Cicchi
  • Daniel Amthauer
Artist(s)
Writer(s)Emil Pagliarulo
SeriesFallout
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
June 14, 2015
    • iOS
    • June 14, 2015
    • Android
    • August 13, 2015
    • Windows
    • July 14, 2016
    • Xbox One
    • February 7, 2017
    • Nintendo Switch, PS4
    • June 10, 2018
Genre(s)Construction and management simulation, survival
Mode(s)Single-player

Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play construction and management simulation video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, with assistance by Behaviour Interactive, and published by Bethesda Softworks. Part of the Fallout series, it was released worldwide for iOS devices in June 2015, for Android devices in August 2015, for Windows in July 2016, for Xbox One in February 2017, and for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in June 2018. The game is also available on Tesla vehicles. The game tasks the player with building and effectively managing their own Vault, a fallout shelter.

Upon release, Fallout Shelter received mostly positive reviews. Critics enjoyed the game's extension of the Fallout universe, the core gameplay, and its visual style. Common criticisms included the game's lack of depth, its use of microtransactions, and its lack of an ending. The game grossed US$5.1 million (equivalent to about $6.6M in 2023) in microtransaction sales in the first two weeks after its release.

Gameplay

Ant farm view. Vault resources are shown along the top of the screen. A notification appears when a room produces resources.

In Fallout Shelter, players build and manage their Vault as an Overseer, its leader and coordinator. Players guide and direct the citizens of the Vault, known as dwellers, and need to keep them happy through meeting their needs such as power, food, and water.[1][2] They rescue dwellers from the wasteland and assign them to different resource-generating buildings in the Vault, using the SPECIAL statistics system from the other Fallout games. Each character's SPECIAL profile affects their ability to generate different resources,[3] and their statistics can be increased by training them in rooms devoted to each stat.[4] The dwellers can level up over time, increasing their health, and can be given items and weapons to help with various tasks.[1] The number of dwellers can be increased by waiting for dwellers from the wasteland to arrive or by pairing a male and a female dweller in living quarters to produce children.[2][3]

Balancing resources such as food, water, and power is an important aspect of the game.[2] Many different rooms can be built in the Vault, providing different items or stat bonuses. Players are not required to spend money in order to accelerate long timers or processes,[2][5] instead having the option to rush the room at the risk of triggering an incident – such as fires or "radroach" infestations.[5][6] Players are sometimes rewarded with lunchboxes that contain cards, that could give them items, resources or dwellers, which can be purchased separately through microtransactions.[2][5][7][8]

Development and release

In a 2009 interview with Engadget, while talking about a possible Fallout game for iOS, Bethesda's Todd Howard said that the world of Fallout was "unique enough that it could translate to any platform", revealing that several designs of an iOS Fallout game were pitched and rejected.[9] On November 5, 2009 John Carmack, who at that time worked for id Software, said that while it was nothing official yet, he had an internal proof of concept made for a Fallout iPhone game. Carmack said that he would likely be personally involved in making the game, although at the time he was working on other projects. He added that "at the very least I'm going to be providing code."[10]

Fallout Shelter was announced by Bethesda during its press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 14, 2015, where it was confirmed the game is a free-to-play title that would be released for iOS the same day.[1] It was developed in a partnership with Behaviour Interactive,[11] and was built using the Unity game engine.[12] The game was released for Android devices on August 13, 2015.[13]

According to Pete Hines, vice president of Bethesda, the game is inspired by other video games like Little Computer People, Progress Quest, XCOM, SimCity and FTL: Faster Than Light.[14][15]

Updates and ports

On June 30, 2015, the game added a character from Fallout 4 as a dweller. Preston Garvey, the leader of Commonwealth Minutemen, was added as a reward available from lunchboxes, along with his Laser Musket weapon, which can be equipped by other Vault dwellers.[16][17] On July 10, 2015, the game received its first update which fixed some problems while adding a new "Photo Mode" feature that allows players to capture and share images of their Vault.[18] On August 13, a major update was launched for the iOS version, alongside the release of the Android version, adding mole rats and deathclaws as new enemies. It also added a feature where raiders would also steal caps, instead of only stealing resources as before, and a robot butler named "Mister Handy", only available through lunchboxes.[19][20]

On October 15, the game received update 1.2 that added cloud saving, survival mode, Russian language support and Piper, a character from Fallout 4 available only for iOS version through lunchboxes. The update added a statistics page, ability to skip tutorial and a new gameplay feature where dwellers can loot equipment from dead raiders.[21][22][23] Later in October, the game received a Halloween-themed update that added room decorations and outfits. The update removed the limit introduced in the previous update on number of dwellers that can be sent to explore the Wasteland.[24]

On November 22, the game received a Thanksgiving-themed update. The update added outfits and decorations.[25][26] On December 10, the game received update 1.3 which added new features like pets including Dogmeat, ability to evict Vault dwellers, a sell all function for clearing out the inventory at once and new pickup lines and conversations for Vault dwellers. The update also added snow and Christmas-themed decorations.[27][28]

In March 2016, update 1.4 was released which added a crafting system, rooms, a card in lunchboxes containing junk used in crafting, pets and a barbershop.[29] Update 1.5 was released in April 2016, adding customization options for Vault dwellers along with the ability to scrap unwanted items and support for 3D Touch.[30] Update 1.6 was released on July 14, 2016, adding a quest system, two new enemies (Feral Ghouls and Radscorpions) and two items in the shop. Additionally, the combat system was tweaked in the update.[31]

Update 1.6, along with the PC version of the game, was announced at Bethesda's press conference before Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 held on June 12, 2016. Both of them were revealed to be coming in July.[32] The PC version was released on the Bethesda.net platform alongside the update on July 14.[33]

Bethesda released an Xbox One version of Fallout Shelter on February 7, 2017; the title supports Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing synchronizing of data and achievements for users with Windows 10.[34][35]

On March 28, 2017, Bethesda released the PC version of the game on Steam.[36]

During the Bethesda E3 2018 Showcase on June 10, 2018, the game was announced and later released that day for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch platforms, making it the very first game in the Fallout series to be available on a Nintendo platform,[37] not counting the Fallout pinball adaptation that was released as part of the Bethesda Pinball collection in late 2016 for Zen Pinball 2, which was available on the Wii U.

In May 2020, Fallout Shelter was added to Tesla vehicles for in-car play.[38]

Lawsuit

On June 21, 2018, Bethesda Softworks sued Warner Bros. Entertainment and Behaviour Interactive over Westworld, an Android/iOS mobile game based on the Westworld TV series, alleging that the game is a "blatant rip-off" of Fallout Shelter.[39]

In a suit filed in a Maryland U.S. District Court, Bethesda alleges that Westworld — developed by Behaviour — "has the same or highly similar game design, art style, animations, features and other gameplay elements" as Fallout Shelter and Westworld illegally "uses the same copyrighted computer code" as Fallout Shelter.[40] Bethesda sued for copyright infringement, breach of contract and misappropriating trade secrets, seeking a jury trial and damages.[41] By January 2019, Bethesda announced it had reached an agreement with Warner Bros. and Behaviour with undisclosed terms, halting its lawsuit against them.[42]

On January 15, 2019, Westworld was removed from Google Play and Apple stores. An in-game announcement stated that only existing players could continue playing until April 16, 2019, when the game would be taken offline.[43]

Reception

Fallout Shelter received "mixed" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[44][45][46]

Reviewers generally enjoyed the gameplay, though criticized its lack of depth. Harry Slater from Pocket Gamer stated, "It's not exactly the most exciting post-apocalyptic game out there, but if casual is your bag there's a lot to like here."[54] Chris Carter from Destructoid wrote, "I don't want to play it every day forever and ever, but it's definitely worth the time I invested in it."[47] Justin Davis of IGN remarked "Fallout Shelter is desperately in need of a set of endgame goals or resource sinks to look forward to."[51]

The visuals also gained some praise. Daniel Tack of Game Informer summarized the visuals as "flavorful in the iconic Vault Boy aesthetic."[48] Chris Carter remarked that "visually, Fallout Shelter is far more impressive than most resource-management games on the market".[47] Jason Faulkner of Gamezebo found the graphics "impressive", writing "not only are the cute little Vault dwellers presented in sharp, Fallout-faithful style, but the vault itself is quite stunning."[53]

Reviewers had mixed opinions about the game's inclusion of microtransactions. Jeb Haught of Game Revolution opined, "when I add the micro-transaction advantage to the post apocalyptic mix, the result puts a sour taste in my mouth".[49] Daniel Tack claimed that "the cash shop option in this free-to-play game is completely unobtrusive and unnecessary".[48] In contrast, Justin Davis says that "virtually every other gameplay element must be earned the old-fashioned mobile way – by just waiting around."[51]

Fallout Shelter became the most popular free iOS application in the U.S. and UK within a day of its release,[56] and the most popular iOS game on June 26, 2015.[57] By June 12, 2016, Fallout Shelter had over 50 million players.[58] Studio director Todd Howard estimated they had 75 million players by February 2017. By June 2019 the game was downloaded more than 150 million times.[59] By June 2020 the game was downloaded more than 170 million times.[60] Because of Fallout Shelter's success, the studio has been working on a second mobile title.[61]

Revenue

On the day of its release, Fallout Shelter became the third-highest-grossing game in the iOS App Store.[56] By July 16, 2015, two weeks after release, the game earned $5.1 million (equivalent to about $6.6M in 2023) in microtransaction sales.[62] The game grossed $100 million (~$118 million in 2023) in lifetime revenue by June 2019.[63]

Awards

List of awards and nominations
Award Category Result Ref.
33rd Golden Joystick Awards Best Mobile Game Won [64]
The Game Awards 2015 Best Mobile/Handheld Game Nominated [65]
19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Mobile Game of the Year Won [66][67]
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year Nominated

Board game adaptation

A multiplayer board game adaptation of Fallout Shelter was released in late 2020.[68]

References

  1. ^ a b c Hilliard, Kyle (June 14, 2015). "Fallout Shelter-Management Mobile Game Out Now On iOS". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 15, 2015). "Surprise! Fallout Shelter iOS game out now". Eurogamer. Gamer Network Ltd. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Dotson, Carter (June 15, 2015). "'Fallout: Shelter' Hands-on impressions: Tiny Vault". Touch Arcade. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Koziara, Andrew (June 18, 2015). "'Fallout Shelter' Guide – Strategies, Tips and Tricks for the Industrious Post-Apocalypse Vault Overseer". Touch Arcade. Retrieved June 18, 2015. Vice Versa, people in training rooms only increase stats, and don't level up.
  5. ^ a b c d Samuel, Ebenezer (June 16, 2015). "Fallout Shelter is grounded in fun: video game review". New York Daily News. Daily News, L.P. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  6. ^ Byford, Sam (June 15, 2015). "Watch the first 10 minutes of Fallout Shelter here". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  7. ^ Karmali, Luke (June 14, 2015). "E3 2015: Fallout mobile game Fallout Shelter available now". IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Duwell, Ron (June 14, 2015). "Fallout Shelter lets you create your own fallout vault, available tonight". TechnoBuffalo. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  9. ^ McElroy, Justin (June 5, 2009). "Bethesda has designed iPhone versions of Fallout 3". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  10. ^ Crecente, Brian (November 5, 2009). "Carmack on iPhone Fallout, Quake Live and Elves and Orcs". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  11. ^ Takahashi, Dean (July 17, 2015). "The DeanBeat: Fallout Shelter is a rare free-to-play mobile gaming hit". GamesBeat. VentureBeat. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  12. ^ Dale, Laura Kate (July 6, 2015). "Unity – does indie gaming's biggest engine have an image problem?". The Guardian. Scott Trust Limited. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  13. ^ "Fallout Shelter now available on Android". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  14. ^ Plunkett, Luke (June 14, 2015). "Fallout Shelter announced, out tonight". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  15. ^ Starr, Michelle (June 14, 2015). "Surprise! Fallout mobile game arrives for iOS". CNET. CBS Corporation. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  16. ^ Pereira, Chris (June 30, 2015). "First Fallout 4 Character Comes to Fallout Shelter Today". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  17. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (June 30, 2015). "Fallout Shelter adds its first Fallout 4 character". IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  18. ^ Sirani, Jordan (July 10, 2015). "First Fallout Shelter Update Adds Photo Mode". IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  19. ^ Grant, Christopher (August 13, 2015). "Fallout Shelter is now available for Android, update available for iOS". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  20. ^ Gurwin, Gabe (August 13, 2015). "Fallout Shelter gets a huge update, hits Android". Digital Trends. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  21. ^ "Fallout Shelter Update 1.2 Includes Piper from Fallout 4 – Digital Trends". Digital Trends. October 19, 2015.
  22. ^ "'Fallout Shelter' Gets Updated to 1.2, Introduces a 'Fallout 4' Character, But Not All is Well". TouchArcade. October 15, 2015.
  23. ^ Williams, Katie (October 15, 2015). "New Fallout Shelter Update Adds Survival Mode, Cloud Saves, and More". IGN.
  24. ^ Harbison, Cammy (October 27, 2015). "Fallout Shelter 1.2.1 Halloween Update Removes Explorer Cap, Adds Costumes, Decorations And Other Spooky Finds". iDigitalTimes.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015.
  25. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 22, 2015). "Fallout Shelter Gets Thanksgiving Update, See the New Content Here". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  26. ^ Frank, Allegra (November 23, 2015). "Fallout Shelter asks dwellers to give thanks in latest holiday update". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  27. ^ Porter, Matt (December 10, 2015). "Fallout Shelter Update Adds New Features". IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  28. ^ "New Fallout Shelter Update: Get Pets, Evict Slackers, Meet New Objectives And More In Bethesda's Latest iOS And Android Game Update". iDigitalTimes. IBT Media. December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  29. ^ Bhat, Aditya (March 1, 2016). "'Fallout Shelter' update 1.4: 'Biggest update' released; adds crafting, new rooms, pets". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  30. ^ Paget, Mat (April 21, 2016). "Fallout Shelter Update Adds New Customization Options, 3D Touch". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  31. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 14, 2016). "Fallout Shelter's Huge Update Out Now, Here's What It Adds". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  32. ^ Sanchez, Miranda (June 12, 2016). "E3 2016: FALLOUT SHELTER COMING TO PC". IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  33. ^ Famuluro, Jessica (July 14, 2016). "Fallout Shelter Now Available On PC". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  34. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (February 3, 2017). "Fallout Shelter is coming to Xbox One next week". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  35. ^ Saed, Sherif (February 8, 2017). "Fallout Shelter is now an Xbox Play Anywhere title, available on Xbox One and Windows 10". VG247. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  36. ^ "Fallout Shelter is now on Steam". PC Gamer. March 29, 2017.
  37. ^ "E3 2018: Fallout Shelter Comes To Nintendo Switch And PS4 Tonight". June 10, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  38. ^ Lambert, Fred (May 21, 2020). "Tesla launches Fallout Shelter in-car video game and more with new update". Electrek. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  39. ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 22, 2018). "Bethesda sues Warner Bros, calls its Westworld game 'blatant rip-off' of Fallout Shelter". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  40. ^ COMPLAINT FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, INDUCEMENT TO BREACH OF CONTRACT, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, MISAPPROPRIATION OF TRADE SECRETS, AND UNFAIR COMPETITION (PDF). Rockville, Maryland: Bethesda Softworks. 2018.
  41. ^ COMPLAINT FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, INDUCEMENT TO BREACH OF CONTRACT, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, MISAPPROPRIATION OF TRADE SECRETS, AND UNFAIR COMPETITION (PDF). Rockville, Maryland: Bethesda Softworks. 2018.
  42. ^ Kidwell, Emma (January 3, 2019). "Bethesda resolves copyright lawsuit against Westworld devs". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  43. ^ Alexander, Julia (January 16, 2019). "Westworld mobile game is shutting down following lawsuit settlement". The Verge. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Fallout Shelter for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  45. ^ a b "Fallout Shelter for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  46. ^ a b "Fallout Shelter for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  47. ^ a b c Carter, Chris (June 15, 2015). "Fallout Shelter review on Destructoid". Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  48. ^ a b c Tack, Daniel (July 1, 2015). "Fallout Shelter review on Game Informer". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  49. ^ a b JebHaught (July 1, 2015). "Fallout Shelter review on Game Revolution". Game Revolution. Net Revolution Inc. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  50. ^ "Fallout Shelter review on GamesTM". GamesTM. Imagine Publishing. August 14, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  51. ^ a b c Davis, Justin (June 26, 2015). "Fallout Shelter review on IGN". IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  52. ^ Sapieha, Chad (June 16, 2015). "Fallout Shelter review: Bethesda's survival sim is fun, but doesn't escape free-to-play mechanics as much as they claim". Financial Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  53. ^ a b Faulkner, Jason (June 18, 2015). "Fallout Shelter Review: The Cutest Apocalypse". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  54. ^ a b Slater, Harry (June 15, 2015). "Fallout Shelter – Probably not the one you wanted". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  55. ^ Killham, Evan (June 15, 2015). "Fallout Shelter makes living in a postapocalyptic bunker adorable and totally free". GamesBeat. VentureBeat. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  56. ^ a b Fields, Sarah (June 19, 2015). "'Fallout Shelter' is Beating 'Candy Crush Saga' in Profits & iOS App Store Rank". Game Rant. Game Rant, LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  57. ^ White, William (June 26, 2015). "Fallout Shelter: The New Most Popular Game in App Store". InvestorPlace. InvestorPlace Media, LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  58. ^ Makuch, Eddie (June 12, 2016). "Fallout Shelter Reaches 50 Million Players". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  59. ^ Jones, Ali (June 10, 2019). "Fallout Shelter has now been downloaded more than 150 million times". pcgamesn.com. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  60. ^ "Celebrate Fallout Shelter's Five-Year Anniversary With Giveaways And More!". bethesda.net. June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  61. ^ Davidson, John (February 18, 2017). "Bethesda's Todd Howard Hints at 3 New Games". Glixel. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  62. ^ Prell, Sam (July 16, 2015). "Fallout Shelter rakes in $5.1 mil in two weeks – that's a lot of bottlecaps". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  63. ^ Taylor, Haydn (June 19, 2019). "Fallout Shelter reaches $100m lifetime revenue". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  64. ^ Hurley, Leon (October 30, 2015). "The Golden Joystick Awards: all the winners this year". GamesRadar. Future plc. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  65. ^ "Nominees | The Game Awards 2015". The Game Awards. Ola Balola. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  66. ^ "The 2016 DICE Award Winners [UPDATED]". GameSpot. CBS Corporation. February 19, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  67. ^ "2016 Awards Category Details Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  68. ^ Ashcroft, Barry (August 11, 2020). "Fallout Shelter The Board Game Available Now". TheGamer. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fallout_Shelter&oldid=1230155639"