The Call of Duty-Fallout collaboration that was leaked in May is now official, as Activision has announced that the four gun-toting Vault 141 escapees will be coming to Call of Duty: Warzone, Modern Warfare 3, and Warzone Mobile on June 20.
The Fallout Vault Dwellers Pack includes a pair of themed weapon blueprints, one for the “Vault-Tech Approved” M16, the other for the HRM-9 “Atomic Disintegrator” which, despite the name, is a relatively conventional submachine gun. Each weapon includes two spare parts that make them even more useful in the heat of battle.
In practice, the weapons are the central element of the package, but in my opinion the biggest attraction are the modern Vault 141 skins for Price, Ghost, Soap and Gaz – because in my opinion it defeats the purpose in this case. Yes, the Vault Dweller skins are “authentic,” but they also look, well, really stupid. Tight blue leotards with gold trim don’t look good on anyone outside the inherently absurd Fallout universe, and throwing them on the Call of Duty guys just looks wrong. Why not give Ghost a ghoul mask instead of a regular skull, or turn Price’s chops into a classic AND Overseer goatee? Okay, this might raise a lot of heads, but they didn’t even put a hat on Gaz. Put an NCR flag on it for God’s sake!
Many players have also noticed the complete lack of power armor in the modern pack. I understand this to a certain extent: animating power armor in the context of Warzone would certainly be a headache, not to mention explaining why it doesn’t provide better protection against gunfire than some stretchy jammies. Hitboxes can also be a problem with a giant armor set, but on the other hand they make the Gundum work.
I have a feeling that if you’re a gaming colossus on Microsoft’s scale and you’ve decided to combine two of your biggest entertainment games into one, you’ll find a way to fit that lovely T-51b in there. It’s an iconic Fallout image, first and foremost, and a Call of Duty crossover feels incomplete without it – as if it were less of a artistic exercise and more of a slightly depressed but inevitable result of relentless, crushing media consolidation.
Am I reading too much into this? Maybe yes. The overwhelming response to the announcement on Twitter is clearly enthusiastic. But like the crossover leak in May, it’s not universal, which is a bit unexpected considering these are two of the biggest names in gaming.
As several players have pointed out, it probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to get at least some of the Ranger armor from Fallout: New Vegas there, but even that’s nowhere to be seen. (Let’s hope this doesn’t spark conspiracy theories again.)
Yes, that would probably be enough.
Here’s everything in the package:
- Four “Vault 141” operator skins.
- HRM-9 “Atomic Disintegrator” weapon blueprint.
- M16 Weapon Blueprint “Vault-Tec Approved”.
- “Let’s do it!” and the Fat Man Spell.
- “Wasteland Workshop” calling card.
- Large “You are special” sticker.
- “Vault-Tec Engineer” emblem.
- “Nuka-Cola Walk” sticker.
- Six loading screens including “Nuka-Cola”, “Please Wait”, “Survivors’ Journey”, “Sanctuary Heights”, “Vault 141” and “Restoring Democracy”
The price of the Fallout Vault Dweller Bundle has not been announced, but it is expected to be available on June 20. This will also mark the launch of the Fallout: Vault Dwellers event in Warzone, Zombies, and Call of Duty multiplayer modes, which will provide an XP bonus for players using Vault Dweller skins, as well as giving players the opportunity to earn other Fallout-themed cosmetic items. The event runs until 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET on June 26 – details can be found at callofduty.com.
