Fallout: London

Fallout: London
Developer(s)	Team FOLON
Director(s)	Dean Carter
Programmer(s)	Callum J. Quick Vladislav Butyrin
Artist(s)	Jordan Albon Joseph Wills Emily Kemp Matthew Espinosa Matthew Gibbs Daniel Krutak Jean Martel
Writer(s)	Callum J. Quick
Composer(s)	Daniel Morrison Neil
Engine	Creation Engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	July 25, 2024
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player

Fallout: London is a 2024 total conversion mod developed by Team FOLON^[1][2][3] for the 2015 Bethesda Softworks action role-playing game Fallout 4. The mod takes place in a post-apocalyptic rendition of London,^[4][5] and is notable for its departure from the series' typical United States setting.^[6] Reviewers praised the scope and detail of Fallout: London for a free project, praising its use of British locations, themes and cultural references in the Fallout setting, although critiquing the mod's bugs and performance issues upon release.

Fallout: London is set in 2237, placing it between the events of Fallout and Fallout 2.^[7] The story begins after a lab break-in, where the player must escape to the surface.^[8][9] There are a number of factions vying for control of London during the story.^[10] The Gentry are London's rulers, descended from pre-war government. The Tommies are a militia that have a self-imposed value to protect London. The 5th Column wants to tear down then rebuild the government. The Camelot Movement is an organization fighting to free London from Gentry rule. Two rival gangs, the Isle of Dogs Syndicate and the Vagabonds, fight for territory. Lastly, Angel is a secretive organization with spies throughout. The player's interactions with these factions determines the flow of the game and ultimately, the outcome.

In addition to interactions with these factions, the player will interact with other characters in the game, who provide quests that may or may not affect the final outcome. Players also will interact with a new species known as Thamesfolk, who appear green and somewhat fish-life, having evolved from the extreme radiation found in the River Thames. These interactions will take players to famous locations in London, including Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey.

Fallout: London is an open world action role-playing game. The game at its core plays similarly to Fallout 4, while borrowing other elements from prior games and including entirely new elements. Returning features from Fallout 4 include a camera that can switch between a first-person and third-person perspective, its combat gameplay, and settlement building. The expanded dialogue system from all games prior to Fallout 4 returns, which gives the player the ability to view every possible dialogue option in its entirety as opposed to Fallout 4's abbreviated responses. While in conversation dialogues the player character is silent, similar to older titles, but the camera interactions during the dialogue behave similarly to Fallout 4.

The player character uses the Atta-Boy, a reverse engineered Pip-Boy. It functions similar to the Pip-Boy in that it functions as the player character's digital assistant. Quests, inventory, the world and local maps and more are managed through it. Power Armour has been removed, as according to lore it was an American invention. Weapons and armor feature intricate crafting and customization operations, which allow the player to tune their weapons and armor to their personal tastes.

Fallout: London had been in development since 2019. It has a main map around the same size as Fallout 4, with its five smaller hub areas combining to be roughly the same size as the Far Harbor DLC.^[10]

An 18-minute gameplay trailer for the mod was released on May 18, 2022.^[11][12] The mod was initially scheduled to be released in 2023,^[13][14][15] and then scheduled to be released April 23, 2024.^[16] The game's release date was then pushed back a second time due to Bethesda's next gen update to Fallout 4.^[17] It was released on July 25, 2024.^[18]

Upon release, Fallout: London received praise for its setting and worldbuilding, although criticism was directed towards the mod's bugs and technical issues present upon release. Many reviewers applauded the scope and detail of the game for a free modification, with Joshua Wolens of PC Gamer describing the project as an "impressive modding achievement",^[22] and Lewis White of PCGamesN remarking that the mod was "sprawling" and "deserved to be celebrated as a monument to fan dedication".^[19]

Critics praised the mod's world, characters, and interpretation of Fallout within an English setting. Claus Larsen of Gamereactor considered its setting to be detailed and authentic, highlighting the game's "English charm and eccentricity" to be captured in its voice acting, cultural references, factions and landmarks.^[20] Ravi Sinha of GamingBolt commended the mod's "attention to detail" and "well-realized environments", describing the "darker mood" of the setting as immersive and evocative of "a retrofuturistic London that's gone to hell and back".^[21] White highlighted the mod's "anglicisation of key gameplay features, including items, weapons, easter eggs and its "meticulously thought-out" factions.^[19] Wolens praised the "fun, thoroughly British pastiches" of its setting and characters.^[22]

However, Fallout: London received criticism for the bugs and technical issues upon its release. Many critics noted the game experienced frequent crashes,^[20] with Wolens describing the mod was "barely playable" and Sinha concurring the poor technical performance was a "hurdle" to enjoying the game.^[21] Larsen cited additional issues, including problems with quest design and inconsistencies in the voice recordings of characters.^[20] Nic Reuben of Rock Paper Shotgun similarly expressed frustration with the mod, remarking that the "extra mods and settings" required to make Fallout: London stable exceeded his personal tolerance and recommended waiting for a patch.^[23]

• Fallout: London official website
• Fallout: London at IMDb