Once upon a time, before Hollywood started making versions of everything we love in pop culture, fans had to make their own versions if they wanted a pop-culture film. That’s how famous fan-films like ‘Sonic Prologue’ and ‘Godzilla: Heritage’ were born, two that conquered the hearts of countless fans. However, with the arrival of series like ‘Fallout’ or ‘The Last of Us’, the fan films were somewhat left aside. Well, more or less.
The Fall of Fallout
In the thick of 2024, there’s no doubt that ‘Fallout’ is en vogue. So much so that there are those who are claiming, in addition to the series, a fan-made short film in 2015 titled ‘Fallout: Nuka Break’, directed by and starring Zack Finfrock thirteen years ago and accumulating 3.6 million views on YouTube. Over the years, Finfrock, an undying fan of the saga, has made numerous drawings of Vault Boy and several parodies, but Bethesda has never taken notice of him.
Until now. And it’s for the most random reason: While Finfrock was playing Fallout 76, he realized there was a drawing that remarkably resembled one he had made some time ago. In fact, it was the same drawing, but slightly modified. Of course, he rushed to Twitter to ask Bethesda where to cash the check or, at least, to ask if they would let him “draw a new and better version”.
The team behind ‘Fallout 76’ immediately apologized, claiming that it was a mistake involving a third party, and in order to avoid further issues, they decided to pay him to create new art in the game. Thirteen years later, the Fallout fan has achieved his goal. By chance? Of course. But it still counts. Oh yeah, the author also managed to secure funding for his second short film about the saga, ‘Fallout: Breaking’– $27,500 that he’ll use to offer an alternative to fans of the Amazon Prime Video series. The Wasteland sure has been kind to him!
