Summary
Before nuclear war devastated the world ofFallout,the United States of America had grown wealthy and powerful beyond where it did in real life. With this came a boom in technology, although it is on an alternate scale based more on the atom punk style of the ’50s than on the trajectory of technology in real life.
Many corporations, especially those who helped create the technological marvels ofFallout’s 2070s, prospered in ways that real companies could only dream of. Many of them ended up partnering with the Department of Defense or other corporations to become even wealthier and more powerful than their competitors in the hyper-capitalistic market ofa United Statesstaring down nuclear war with communist countries.
1Red Rocket Corp
Fueling Company That Took Advantage Of Fusion Power
While the company started in the age of fossil fuel-powered cars, Red Rocket flourished after the car industry switched to fusion power. Because it was an early adopter of atomic energy, the company came to have a monopoly on the East Coast and had locations across the country. They also worked with companies like Nuka Cola and Grey Tortoise, since they sold their products in Red Rocket stores.
Thanks to their iconic branding and a large number of locations, Red Rocket stations remain important places for scavengers exploring the wasteland. Some minor factions,like the Atom Cats, have even turned Red Rocket stations into bases.
2Galaxy News Network
Largest Media Corporation In Pre-War America
Galaxy News Network was one of the largest corporations before the Great War. They had multiple divisions, including Galaxy News Radio. They published pro-government stories, including news segments that attempted to spin terrible incidents by US-based corporations and the US government into something positive.
Snippets of GNN reports can still be heard in the post-apocalyptic wasteland sinceThe Enclave’s President Edenadapted the propaganda for his own uses. GNN is mentioned in every major entry to theFalloutfranchise, further enshrining the media corporation’s place in pre-war America.
3Abraxodyne Chemical
A RobCo Subsidiary That Sold Cleaning Products
Abraxodyne Chemical produced household cleaning products in such high numbers that their products were still in use by wastelanders two centuries after the Great War. Their main product, Abraxo Cleaner, isa useful junk itemthat is easily found by players looking for crafting ingredients.
4Poseidon Energy
Far-reaching Energy Company With Government Ties
Poseidon Energy was a company that owned oil rigs, refineries, gas stations, and power plants. They had a hand in every aspect of the energy sector, including the solar farm known as HELIOS One. After the war, Poseidon Energy did not exist anymore, but that did not stop theBrotherhood of Steelfrom searching for ways to utilize Poseidon’s information for their own uses.
Before the war, Poseidon Energy also worked in secret with a sect within the US government. Because of this, a Poseidon oil rig became the main base for the Enclave following the Great War. This was one of the things that made their legacy endure beyond the company’s lifespan.
5Chryslus Motors Corporation
The Largest Car Company To Use Nuclear Fusion
When fusion power became viable in the early 2070s, Chryslus managed to use it to revolutionize cars. The brand Corvega, owned by Chryslus, produced multiple fusion-powered cars, including the Highwayman, which could be driven byFallout 2players.
Traveling across the ruins of large cities gives players an idea of how ubiquitous their cars were, as many major roads still have broken-down Chryslus cars on them. InFallout 4, players need to be careful around them, as their fusion engines will explode if shot too many times.
6Super-Duper Mart
Nationwide Grocery Chain
Super-Duper Mart was a big box retail store that sold many products ranging from food to household cleaning supplies like BlamCo Mac & Cheese and Abraxo Cleaner. The store also had locations that featured a café, and there was even an automated store that Super-Duper Mart advertised as “the future of grocery stores.”
Super-Duper Marts are great locations for scavengers, and, as such, tend to serve as hideouts for raider gangs such as the group in theFalloutshow that used one while holding ghouls captive. Super-Duper Mart locations can be found in many of the games since they had locations across the United States.
7Nuka Cola
The Premier Soda Company In Pre-War America
Nuka Cola’s popularity exploded upon its release in 2044, and it could be purchased anywhere in the United States within its first year. As sales continued to grow, the company did what it could to dominate the beverage market. It released multiple flavors, such as Nuka Cherry, Nuka Cola Quantum, and Nuka Grape to compete with other drink companies if it could not buy them outright.
The soda company was so successful that it opened its own theme park called Nuka World in 2050. Many corporations partnered with Nuka Cola to create unique rides and areas of the park advertising their specialties. Even though Nuka Cola stopped bottling its drinks when the bombs dropped in 2077, their success was so great that their sodas can still be found across the United States as late as 2287.
8General Atomics International
The Original Mass-Produced Robot Company
General Atomics International, or GAI, is best known for itsMister Handy model robot, which was sold as a robot butler, gardener, and all-around household helper. After partnering with RobCo to perfect this design, GAI worked with the Department of Defense to work on multiple new types of robots. They built the original Liberty Prime — a giant robot warrior that never ended up being deployed — along with robots with embedded living human brains in them called Robobrains.
The company also built power generators that would serve as backups for Vaults and parts for laser weaponry. A project to build networks of robots that would operate independently ended in disaster with multiple fatalities. Despite that failure, GAI was instrumental in creating multiple projects that persist even to the latest known years of theFalloutfranchise.
9RobCo
Robotics Company Founded By Robert House
Robert House founded RobCo Industries on his 22nd birthday in 2042. Despite being cheated out of a significant inheritance, Mr. House was as resourceful as he was intelligent, and so he managed to grow the company until it was one of the largest corporations in pre-war America.
RobCo designed each model of the PipBoy, which would become vitally important for Vault-Tec’s work. They also rivaled General Atomics in the robotics industry, having made the Eyebot, Securitron, Protectron, and Sentry Bot. They would also go on to partner with the US government on defense as well as other corporations, such as when they created the Battlezone for Nuka World. Considering that Robert House managed to protect himself and theLas Vegas areawith wealth and assets acquired through this corporation, RobCo’s contributions to theFalloutuniverse before the bombs dropped were truly legendary.
10Vault-Tec
Vaults Protected Many People But Also Subjected Them To Horrific Experiments
Vault-Tec was founded in 2031 and began preparing for nuclear war by building radiation-proof Vaults deep underground. The idea was that people could buy their way into a Vault and then generations would live underground until it was safe enough for them to reclaim the surface.
The company could only secure so much funding from the US government since the Resource Wars were a constant drain on the economy for decades leading up to the Great War of 2077. Vault-Tec ended up outsourcing funding for some Vaults to other companies. These investor companies had complete autonomy in their Vaults and most ended up using their Vaults to rununethical experiments on the inhabitants. Despite having saved thousands of lives from nuclear destruction, the company is also responsible for a great deal of pain and suffering. Vault-Tec’s success is measured both in the hundreds of billions of dollars that it had before the Great War and the thousands of lives impacted by its work over the centuries.
