Finally taking those models out of The Vault.
As almost all video games are mostly concerned with fiction, it's very rare to see them referenced in any non-commercial and non-artistic context. However, a new exhibition in the US-American National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas marks a notable exception:
As announced on October 16, 2025, as part of their project to detail the influence of the atomic bomb on pop culture, the museum is cooperating with IP holder Bethesda to explore the world of Fallout from a scientific and historical point of view.
A Turbulent History
Fallout began as a post-apocalyptic role-playing game in 1997, drawing heavily from 1950s Atomic Age aesthetics and science fiction. The title was created by Interplay Productions in an attempt to follow up their similar earlier title Wasteland (1988), to which they had lost the rights to Electronic Arts. In 2004, amidst financial struggles, the studio had to sell the rights to Fallout as well, this time to Bethesda (ZeniMax), which would itself be purchased by Microsoft in 2021.
Set in the 3rd millennium and following a devastating US-China nuclear war, the series mostly tends to focus on open-world exploration, branching dialogue options with multiple endings and complex narratives, usually exploring the tensions between survivor factions of varying ideologies or mutant threats. Over time, the games would evolve from isometric turn-based systems into full 3D action-RPGs, further increasing their market appeal.
Commercially and critically successful (except for missteps like Fallout 76 in 2018), the franchise sold millions of copies, experiencing renewed interest following the 2024 TV adaptation on Amazon Prime Video, which reportedly pulled in over 65 million viewers shortly after launch. In July 2025, development of Fallout 5 was greenlit, potentially explaining why the company may be interested in increasing awareness of its brand with collaborations like these:
An Unexpected Collaboration
As announced on October 16, 2025, the National Atomic Testing Museum, dedicated to documenting the history of nuclear testing and warfare since 2005, has entered a partnership with Bethesda to present an exhibition exploring the intersection of nuclear history and the Fallout franchise. The display will include objects from the video games and the TV adaptation, using them to explore how popular media interprets and reimagines atomic-era themes.
In addition to celebrating and dissecting Fallout's iconic imagery, the museum seeks to place these designs within the broader context of mid-20th-century nuclear culture. In our slightly morbid interpretation, the timing of the exhibit may also reflect recently renewed public unease over potential nuclear conflict (see the surge in "World War III" search activity following the the June 2025 United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites).
The exhibition titled The World of Fallout and intended to last for a limited time after its start on November 14, 2025, is also emblematic of another growing trend; namely institutions using pop culture and entertainment media as a means of engaging the public with historical subjects in new, accessible ways. If any reader is interested in visiting the Las Vegas-based museum for the occasion, tickets can be pre-ordered here.
But what do you think? Could such collaborations truly help make learning about history more accessible? Or do they detract from the seriousness of the topic? Let us know in the comments below!