The Fallout TV series is coming out next spring, and looks pretty good (Picture: Twitter)

As TV companies rush to have the next big video game hit after The Last Of Us, it seems like Fallout is already a contender.

Amazon’s adaptation of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-player has been in the works for years, but until recently all there’s ever been is the odd leaked set photo.

Now though, the show has a debut date of April 12, 2024 and a new trailer, which looks very impressive and surprisingly close to the games.

What’s most unexpected is the tone. The original Fallout games were always noted for their dark humour but when Bethesda bought the franchise, starting with Fallout 3, they were criticised for playing down that side of things.

Bethesda’s Todd Howard is the executive producer of the show but the series is being overseen by Westworld’s Jonathan Nolan, so maybe the more comedic take was his idea.

The trailer features a lot of The Brotherhood Of Steel, but also many other details from the games, including ghouls, giant cockroaches, faithful dog companions, and floating robots.

Storytelling has never been the franchise’s strong point, especially in the Bethesda era, so with a bit of luck they’ll pick up some tips from the show and it can end up having a positive influence on future games.

It’s not entirely clear what is going on with the plot, other than it features a previously unseen Vault and its occupants, but it won’t be adapting any one specific game.

‘Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have,’ says Amazon.

‘200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind – and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.’

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By coincidence, Paramount has also just released the trailer for season two of the Halo TV show, which will start February 8 2024 on Paramount+ in the UK.

The response to the first season was decidedly mixed but it does seem to have been successful, with Microsoft having a vested interest in keeping the Halo name alive in at least some way – given there’s currently no sign of a new game.

Fallout is in the same position, with Fallout 5 unlikely to appear for at least a decade, although there have been hints about a Fallout: New Vegas sequel by someone other than Bethesda.

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As TV companies rush to have the next big video game hit after The Last Of Us, it seems like Fallout is already a contender.