Fallout fan film creator finally gets to work with Bethesda after 13 years, as Fallout 76 devs accidentally nab his artwork for the MMO’s July 4 celebrations

A long-time Fallout superfan has finally been given his chance to work with Bethesda, after the Fallout 76 studio accidentally used a piece of his artwork in game without getting permission.

Zack Finfrock is the director (and main character) of Fallout: Nuka Break, a popular fan film about a Vault Dweller wandering the wasteland in search of a refreshing cola. The first film was released 13 years ago, and even after all that time, Finfrock’s still creating, with crowdfunding underway for a follow-up, Fallout: Breaking, that he says is just a little bit inspired by the success of the Fallout TV show.

Over the years, Finfrock has also created plenty of Vault Boy art, and earlier this week he discovered that some of that art had found its way into Fallout 76. The in-store image for the MMO’s July 4 Flag Waving Bundle featured an adapted version of Finfrock’s art, prompting him to tweet at game director Jon Rush. “I get that I don’t own Vault Boy and whatnot,” Finfrock said, “but you could have reached out so I could draw a newer, better version for your Atom Shop image.”

As noted by PC Gamer, Rush was relatively quick to reply, saying that the mistakenly-used art was a result of a “mix up with an external vendor.” The picture has since been replaced, but Finfrock shared another message in which Rush said he would pay the creator for some newly-commissioned artwork to appear in the game. After 13 years dedicated to some of the best Fallout fan content out there, it seems like Finfrock has finally found an even stronger connection to the Bethesda series.

Fallout 76 just got bigger to make way for an extra vault, 12 new quests, and more Vault-Tec scheming.