A chalkboard has ignited a fierce Fallout TV show debate about whether the new series has retconned game canon

The Fallout TV show already has a canon controversy but, don’t worry, the ‘retcon’ to the game series really isn’t as important as it seems at first glance. Some spoilers for Fallout follow.

So, what’s the issue? Well, it all stems from a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it chalkboard during Lucy and Max’s impromptu trip to Vault 4.

On it, it says the ‘Fall of Shady Sands’ happens in 2277. If you know your Fallout timeline, you’ll be aware that it’s essentially an impossibility. 

If the Fallout TV show is following canon (and the powers that be have said multiple times that it is), then, Fallout: New Vegas’ many references to the New California Republic (NCR) and Shady Sands in 2281 don’t quite add up.

While many (honestly, too many to mention here) are up in arms about the reference, suggesting that New Vegas has been banished to non-canon status by Todd Howard and Bethesda, it’s worth pointing out that the retcon isn’t really a retcon at all.

Sure, maybe someone in New Vegas could have mentioned the ‘fall’ of Shady Sands during the events of the Obsidian-developed game, but the arrow alone – signifying a future event – is enough to suggest that the outright nuking of Shady Sands comes post-2281 and the events of New Vegas. 

Not to go into too much outright spoilers, but a later detail in the Fallout ending about Shady Sands’ fate also suggests it could easily have taken place a little later than 2277.

Bethesda’s Emil Pagliarulo also tweeted that the studio has "never suggested" that New Vegas is anything other than canon. On top of that, there’s the small matter of whether we should take Vault-Tec propaganda at face value. Never a good idea, if you ask us.

So, a whole load of something over nothing? Possibly. Fallout season 2 – if it happens – should reveal more in that regard. For now, maybe let’s chalk this one up to a slight overreaction.

For more from our Fallout coverage, check out:

• The Fallout TV show went the extra mile – by creating a real-life Pip-Boy for its cast to use
• Fallout TV show stars and creators on working with Todd Howard: "It means a lot to get his approval"
• Fallout season 1 review: "A big Vault Boy-style thumbs up"
• The Fallout TV show just revealed the canon origins of Vault Boy's signature thumbs up
• All of the Fallout Easter eggs we spotted in the TV show
• Fallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypse