Is Fallout London Canon?

Fallout London may not be the work of Bethesda, but it’s a superb extension of the Fallout world, taking the apocalypse to London. But is it considered official? Here’s whether Fallout London is part of the canon of Fallout lore.

Is Fallout London Officially Part of the Fallout Universe?

Simply, Fallout London does not count as official Fallout canon because it’s not a Bethesda game. It’s a fan-created expansion. Contrast that against Fallout: New Vegas, which was created by Obsidian Entertainment under Bethesda’s supervision and as part of a deal with the latter. That’s not what’s happened here. Instead, Team FOLON has made the game off their own backs. It’s a fantastic, professional-looking expansion but it’s not official.

Does that mean Bethesda is likely to turn around and sue the team or demand the game be pulled? Not at all. Firstly, they’ve opened Fallout 4 to modding and actively encourage it. Even if they did change their mind and went after the team, it’d be a PR disaster of colossal proportions. They could always go the other way and grant Fallout London official approval, which would effectively make it canon, but that kind of thing rarely ever happens.

But there are plenty of Fallout trappings included in the game, Nuka Cola for example, and some of the tech in the game is mentioned as being derived from the US equivalents. There’s at least one direct nod to Fallout 3, too. If you’ve peeked at the Fallout London credits, you’ll have noticed the name Alistair Tenpenny. Without spoiling things too much, he has a fairly significant role in that game.

Instead of a Pip-Boy, you have an Attaboy, (the British equivalent). And you get a dog too, though its name won’t mean much unless you’ve watched a lot of British TV adverts. Plus, while there’s a lot of new additions, like a whole new city, there are some monsters, weapons, and so forth that are shared with Fallout 4.

So, Fallout London is not part of Fallout canon, but it still fits into the world, albeit unofficially. And if you do want to pick up this free expansion, here’s how to download and install Fallout London.