Last year, we witnessed the rudimentary beginnings of a rather exciting trend, with indie games such as Entwined jumping on the play-it-right-now bandwagon. Fast forward to E3 2015 and we’ve already seen various publishers experimenting with the direct approach, opening up betas for upcoming games before the curtain falls. For Bethesda, that crowd-pleaser was Fallout Shelter, a themed mobile game based on the Fallout universe.
Launching first for iOS, the free-to-play experience has players oversee an underground safe haven as the Vault Overseer, managing resources and ensuring that your dwellers are living happy and safe lives despite the end of days. Already Fallout Shelter has proven to be an overnight success, and currently sits atop the iTunes app chart. Only Clash of Clans and Game of War are pulling in more in revenue.
However, according to Bethesda’s Todd Howard, the mobile experience wasn’t designed simply to pull in additional income for the studio. During the announcement on Sunday, Howard drummed home the point that Shelter is fairly balanced and in no way exploits the player for a quick back – something that freemium titles so often do. For him, “this is not about making money. This is about getting Fallout out there.”
Speaking of which, the app itself is currently only available for iOS – version 7.0 and later – though Bethesda is planning on releasing an Android version in the coming months.
Yes, we’re also working on Fallout Shelter for Android. Hopefully out in a few months.
— BethesdaGameStudios (@BethesdaStudios) June 16, 2015
Have you been busy overseeing your Vault in Fallout Shelter these past few days? Share your experiences with the free-to-play app in the comments.
