Atomfall, the new survival-action game from Rebellion, is winning over gamers with its humorously referenced British popular culture. The setting is post-apocalyptic Northern England for the game, which in itself is modeled on the Fallout franchise, challenging players to survive on combat and crafting. But it’s the obviously British Easter eggs that are creating a stir among fans.
Rebellion, the creators of the Sniper Elite franchise, have borrowed heavily from British 1950s and 1960s pulp fiction in the world-building for Atomfall. Fans have already identified many classic British media references to its characters. Perhaps the most obvious is Judge Dredd, the no-nonsense comic book lawman from 2000 AD. His helmet is seen throughout the game in a nod to one of Britain’s greatest comic book icons.
There are a few other Easter eggs as well, such as Mr. Bean’s yellow Mini classic with his couch strapped on top. Doctor Who enthusiasts will be delighted to see the TARDIS, the Doctor’s time machine, pop up. There is even a smaller but no less meaningful reference to the long-running British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, in the form of a bath full of three dead bodies each sporting their own hat.
Rebellion’s design director Ben Fisher promised that 1950s and 1960s British pulp fiction had been a major source of inspiration for Atomfall’s world design. He also suggested other such sci-fi sources of those eras, like Doctor Who, Triffids, and The Quatermass Experiment, as examples of things which the players would continue to discover as they progressed through the game’s lethal quarantine zone and discover even more clever references and nods along the way.
These Easter eggs are a bonus feature of fun for Atomfall, giving explorers an extra reward. Players are already sharing their finds on the game’s subreddit, and there is still plenty to discover as players keep experimenting with the map.
Atomfall was released on March 27, 2025, and can be played on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC. The challenge for players is to uncover the dark truth behind what actually happened in an alternate take on a real historical event by applying science fiction, folk horror, and Cold War themes towards the development of a world which is disturbingly familiar yet totally alien.
