Prime Video's Fallout series has never been shy about referencing the games, but this season 2 premiere location takes it to another level entirely.
Spoilers for Fallout season 2 follow.
Partway through The Ghoul and Lucy's trek to New Vegas, they happen upon a mysterious Vault – Vault 24 to be precise.
While there, they discover the dwellers within had been brainwashed and turned into communists.
Mind control is nothing new in the Fallout universe – Justin Theroux's House is shown using a brain chip in season 2's opening scene – but this Vault is something fresh.
That's because unused files from 2010's Fallout: New Vegas featured a Vault 24 jumpsuit. The location itself became something of an urban legend among the Fallout community, with data-miners working to uncover its intended function in Obsidian's RPG.
Vault 24's inclusion speaks to a philosophy that Todd Howard shared in a recent conversation with GamesRadar+. Namely, a balance needs to be struck between those who know every nook and cranny of the Mojave wasteland through Fallout: New Vegas and those who are experiencing the location for the first time through the Prime Video series.
"We sort of approach it like we do a new game. Like, hey, we're starting fresh," Howard explained. "Okay, we're going back to Vegas: number one, we've got to honor the journey that every player had there. Maneuvering that is tricky."
On sprinkling game references throughout the TV show, Howard added, "It's going back to authenticity. What would we want to see as a fan? Make it as authentic as possible and come at it with a lot of thought, a lot of love, but also take some swings."
For more on Fallout, be sure to dive into the Fallout season 2 review. Then, for a more in-depth look at the Prime Video series, we have Fallout season 2 Easter eggs and an overview of the Fallout season 2 timeline.
