As anticipation builds for Amazon's upcoming second season of "Fallout," set to debut December 17 on Prime Video, fans of the long-running video game franchise are getting even more reason to celebrate. Bethesda Game Studios, the developers behind the acclaimed "Fallout" series, have announced that the television adaptation's breakout character, Walton Goggins' The Ghoul, will soon be making his way into the world of "Fallout 76".
The crossover comes in the form of a major new downloadable content (DLC) expansion titled "Fallout 76: Burning Springs". The update was created in close collaboration with the creative team behind Amazon's hit show, ensuring the addition feels authentic to both mediums. Bethesda says this marks the 64th major DLC drop for "Fallout 76" and is being touted as the game's "most expansive addition to date."
Per the official description from Bethesda Softworks, "Fallout 76: Burning Springs takes players to a new region in its largest update since 2020. In this free update for all Fallout 76 players, explore post-nuclear Ohio, meet new characters and factions, and take on all-new Bounty Hunting missions hosted by Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, featured from Prime Video's Fallout television series."
While Bethesda has yet to lock in a precise release date for the expansion, Microsoft has confirmed that "Burning Springs" will launch sometime in December to coincide with the premiere of Fallout Season 2. More details are expected to be unveiled during the annual "Fallout Day" presentation on October 23.
For players unfamiliar with the timeline, "Fallout 76" is set earlier in the series' chronology than other entries in the franchise, taking place long before the events of Amazon's adaptation. That gap created a unique challenge for the developers: how could they weave recognizable elements from the show into the game without disrupting its established continuity? Their solution was to incorporate The Ghoul, a character who, thanks to his irradiated condition, has endured for centuries in the wasteland.
Beginning October 2, players using the Public Test Server (PTS) will be able to encounter Goggins' in-game counterpart-complete with the actor's likeness and voice. In Burning Springs, The Ghoul plays a central role as the host of a new bounty hunting system.
"Players can interact with this iconic character, who hosts bounty missions that can be found all throughout Burning Springs. New bounties will always be rolling in, so players should check with The Ghoul often to pick up the latest bounties - and their rewards upon completion, of course. While not available as a playable character or companion, players can encounter The Ghoul at ‘The Last Resort' in Highway Town and see which of the many wanted folk in Burning Springs will be the next target," Bethesda's description reads.
Fallout 76 lead producer Bill LaCoste spoke about the crossover, saying, "I think the biggest thing across the show and with the games, in general, is the stories, the characters, the dialogue all very much match. In terms of the stories we're trying to tell, the characters we're developing, people who watch the show but had never played the game we're asking, how is that representative of the game? Like, are people in The Vault acting like that? I was like, ‘No, that's real. That's how they are in the game; they're a little bit follow-the-leader type sheep. And then people in the wasteland, the Raiders, are exactly like that. It's a great benefit to us to take a look at what they did in the show - the toasters, cabinets, shelves, everything is like, that's what is in the game. So people coming in from the show will notice that there's a lot of similarities, and for good reason."
Back in July at Summer Game Fest, the "Fallout 76" developers hinted to Variety that a show tie-in was on the horizon. With Burning Springs now officially unveiled, the studio has also suggested this might just be the beginning.
Bethesda Game Studios creative director Jon Rush said, "The good part about working at BGS is how full of creative folks it is. So there are a lot of possible pathways we have forward for future features, or for expanding on existing features, that could have light tie-ins to the show, or very direct tie-ins to the show."
Tags: fallout, fallout 76, amazon prime video, bethesda softworks