Fallout Shelter is being turned into a reality TV series by Amazon, as vault life gets Squid Gameified

I never thought I'd see irradiated Love Island become a thing, but there you go

Abandon your plans to run for public office. If you don't, you'll not be eligible to apply to be a contestant on the Fallout Shelter reality TV series Amazon are now working on, following the success of their other Fallout show. Stop protesting, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be locked in a set resembling a vault and subsequently have your mind messed with as you and your fellow inmates take on a bunch of challenges.

Inspired by the mobile vault management game Bethesda originally made for mobile and also released on desktop, this freshly greenlit reality series is pitched thusly:

Set inside Vault-Tec’s bomb-proof vaults, Fallout Shelter drops a diverse group of contestants into an immersive, high-stakes world inspired by the games’ signature dark humor, retro-futurism, and post-apocalyptic survival storytelling. Across a series of escalating challenges, strategic dilemmas, and moral crossroads, contestants must prove their ingenuity, teamwork, and resilience as they compete for safety, power, and ultimately a huge cash prize.

Studio Lambert, the folks behind Squid Game: The Challenge and The Traitors are producing what'll be a ten episode series, alongside regular Fallout show makers Kilter Films.

I'll be honest, while I can see the appeal of the regular Fallout show even if my view of it's been fairly lukewarm thus far, I've got zero interest in watching this reality series. That's not surprising - it's likely aimed squarely at established reality show watchers and folks who're simply keen for any extra Fallout-branded things to watch. I still can't help but view it as a remarkably dull and uninspiring thing to be doing with a game series that has plenty of potential to serve as the basis for intriguing TV beyond what the main show has done to this point.

Why not spend this cash on a mini-series which establishes a location in post-apocalyptic North America that the main show and games have yet to touch in huge depth, via a self-contained story with stakes strong enough to carry it, but not so massive that they can't be packed away relatively neatly if future entries opt not to go full bore down the same road? Head north to Canada and touch on life what in a nation annexed by the pre-war US is like now. Go southeast for some lighthearted wackiness with radioactive Florida men. Anyway, those are just off the top of my head and I'm no all-knowing executive with access to all the data.

If you fancy applying to be a contestant on Fallout Big Brother, the casting call can be found here. It's open until February 15th, and you'll need to meet a bunch of criteria such as being 21 or older and "not currently, nor do you currently intend to be, a candidate for public office". The likes of availability and being open to taking "a background check, physical and psychological examinations by medical professionals" are other bits of the fine print.