It is finally here, and the eight episodes released have definitely matched the hype! Fallout's much-anticipated series premiere aired globally on April 11 to mostly positive reviews, with this live-action remake of the classic game paying homage to its roots while catering to the craftiness demanded of an adaptation to the big screen.
For those not in the know, the Fallout video game universe spans six mainline games, beginning with 1997’s Fallout. Players get to explore the vast world that is the nuclear-decimated United States under various guises, be it black, white, or anything in between.
So what got us to this position? Soon, as the final two global superpowers who are battling for sole access to whatever natural resources are left in the world, America and China wage nuclear war as a final act of desperation, ending humanity as we know it. Or so we thought.
However, thanks to a network of underground tunnels, the human race does survive, albeit in a sheltered existence under the surface of the earth. When one character decides to venture to the surface, that is where the story begins, as players are taken through a post-apocalypse survival ride for the ages.
To celebrate the release of this adaptation, official watch parties were arranged by Twitch and Amazon Prime Video that included prominent streamers like Shroud, BrookeAB, and CohhCarnage. A total of 15 content creators invited their followers to their channels to catch the Fallout series in all its glory, and here's what happened.
Viewership stats from Fallout Episode 1 watch parties
It has to be noted that the first episode of this live-action series was free for anyone who tuned into one of the 15 creators' channels on April 11. Moreover, for those confused, the watch party feature only made a "one-off comeback for the special Fallout series launch collaboration" as it was shut down by Twitch on April 2.
The most viewed of these select influencers was Shroud, whose seven-hour stream notched 90K Hours Watched. It also notched 30.3 Peak Viewers, with both values being the leaders when it comes to this watch-along event. Even among broadcasters not part of this event who watched Episode 1 on their streams, the Canadian former esports pro remained the most successful.
Knowing just how famous he is among online users, it won't surprise readers that the retired CS2 player was by far the most popular choice among audiences to watch the show. Coming in far behind was CohhCarnage, who racked up 11.5K HW in around 1.5 hours of being on air.
It also has to be noted that several other popular online personalities on Twitch hosted watch parties to catch the first episode. Taking advantage of the relaxation in the features' recent rollback were names like Cellbit, blau, and RybsonLoL_, who all made the overall table seen above.
When it comes to the chat analytics of these 15 content creators, there was quite a lot of buzz among viewers. Shroud's channel was the busiest, with 13.1K total messages and the word 'fallout' being the most used by his fans. Other words like ghoul, vault, and world — all connected to the series — were also pretty popular among audiences.
Most crucially, the hype and excitement for the Fallout series' release also translated to an increase in activity for its video game. The viewership of the franchise's number-one game on the purple platform shot up over the last week, with Fallout 76's watch time increasing by 86% and the peak concurrent viewership by a massive 639%.
In fact, its peak viewership figure reached a four-year high, with the last time it crossed 17K PV being in April 2020, when it hit a substantial 37.7K PV. Moreover, having already 316K HW, it's on course for a new monthly watch time high this year as the best performance so far was in January with 355.8K HW.
Lest we forget, such official watch parties on Twitch are pretty rare, although when it does come up with such an event, it turns out to be a big deal. Most times, any content related to movies or shows is watched illegally on the streaming service, with many creators getting punished for the same.
As a result, official outings turn out to be massive successes, with millions tuning in to watch the live broadcast. Arguably the best example was during the release of Arcane back in November 2021, the much-loved animated action-adventure television series set in the League of Legends universe.
This premier was also allowed to be aired on Twitch as a co-casting exercise, meaning it was free to audiences who tuned in. Such was its success that the specifically created category for such an occasion was catapulted to the top 10 most popular Twitch categories ever table, taking pride of place at number seven with 1.8M Peak Viewers.
With fans and critics loving the large-screen adaptation of one of the defining franchises of the last three decades, hardcore and casual fans can expect a lot more. With the kind of detailed lore and backstories packed within these games, there is lots to explore, if the OTT show's makers choose to do so. It could also signal a new dawn for video games being made into movies/TV series, what with last year's The Last of Us series also becoming a roaring success.
