Fallout: New Vegas inspires a holiday in Nevada town

Obsidian Entertainment's Fallout: New Vegas has been a fan favorite of Interplay and Bethesda's RPG franchise, one whose name always comes up when discussed the series. In early July, the town of Goodsprings, Nevada had a celebration of the game with a party appropriately dubbed "New Vegas Day."

While there are many gatherings for video game players to attend, most of them are for either the entire medium, or a specific company, such as Blizzard. Not many exist for a singular game, but Fallout is unique in that regard. Fans have flocked to the real-world settings of the various games, including West Virginia to promote Fallout 76 in 2018. 

Documentarian and Fallout fan TKs Mantis drove to Nevada to document the in-person event, which was said to have attracted nearly 500 attendants, far beyond the event's initial 50-person projections. Most attendants were from the United States, said Mantis, though others came from different countries around the world. 

New Vegas released in 2010 to largely positive reviews. Its opening sees the Courier, the game's player character, shot in the head and revived in its post-apocalyptic version of Goodsprings. The game's Prospector Saloon is based on the real-life town's Pioneer Saloon, and as a fan of New Vegas, the saloon's owner Steve (no last name was given) held a party in its honor. 

According to Mantis, the event featured a live band that played songs from the Fallout games, and the crowd were deeply respectful of the town. Some crowdgoers even left food for the Pioneer staff, who Mantis said were working from the hours of 9 am to midnight in the middle of the Mojave heat. "We all know the world has been a little rough lately," admitted Mantis, "but just being at this event restored so much faith in humanity for me." 

New Vegas has grown in favor with Fallout fans over the years, and with a day celebrating their title, Obsidian sent one of its employees to film "New Vegas Day" for its Tiktok channel. Josh Sawyer, Obsidian's design director, also thanked the town of Goodsprings, calling it a "cool little place" whose community has become stronger for the New Vegas association.

Obsidian was purchased by Microsoft in 2018, and the Xbox publisher would later acquired Bethesda in 2020. Currently, Obsidian is at work on several games, including a sequel to its 2019 RPG The Outer Worlds and its survival game, Grounded. 

On Twitter, Mantis later confirmed that Pioneer would plan to make "New Vegas Day" an annual event for the foreseeable future, with next year's intended to be "a full weekend party." It will take place in October 2023.