In my opinion it's no longer possible to tell an original story in those settings [post-apoc, caused by nuke wars, epidemics, etc.]. T he plot and the setting must connect perfectly with the themes you want to deal with. The nuclear apocalypse is more a fear of Tim Cain's generation (the lead designer of the first Fallout) than of my generation, and I think it's something distant for the younger generations. It's also an issue that's already been recently explored. I think there are both scary and engaging elements in the idea that societies in the 21st century will continue to degenerate slowly as they age, instead of collapsing quickly. It's a hypothesis that is less apocalyptic and more dystopian. Dysfunctions that we can see today on the news but magnified and accelerated by the passage of decades. I think these fears are closer to our thoughts today and more interesting to explore. But to be honest, I continue to be interested in future environments which are neither optimistic nor pessimistic: in a world where people have suffered numerous catastrophes but they made it through, and have adapted to the new conditions of life. For however fragile is our existence, we are masters of adaptation. We do not need a world plagued by war and darkness to explore the ways in which we can face the challenges of the future.
