# Audio dramas and podcasts based on video games
Audio dramas and podcasts based on video games include official productions such as Konami's *Metal Gear Solid* audio drama and fan-made works such as *CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story*.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Earliest well-documented official example, preceded by Konami's TwinBee PARADISE radio drama, broadcast in 1993 | Konami's *Metal Gear Solid* audio drama, broadcast weekly from October 24, 1998 to January 9, 1999[1](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_(audio_drama)) • [6](https://note.com/m_minamizawa/n/n745c5a599443?hl=en) |
| Release format | Collected on two Drama CDs, Vol. 1 (December 4, 1998) and Vol. 2 (January 8, 1999)[1](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_(audio_drama)) |
| Canon status of the *Metal Gear Solid* drama | Explicitly non-canon sidestories depicting hypothetical situations[5](https://www.eurogamer.net/metal-gear-solids-90s-japanese-radio-drama-gets-an-english-fan-dubbing) |
| Notable fan production | *CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story*, which claims over 1.5 million listeners and was featured by Bethesda and Forbes Magazine[2](https://www.audiodrama.com/show/chad-a-fallout-76-story/) |
| Audience figure discrepancy | An independent account gives over 160,000 downloads as of July 2020, against the creator's undated 1.5 million claim[2](https://www.audiodrama.com/show/chad-a-fallout-76-story/) |
| Post-2023 activity | *Bit By Beat*, a non-commercial fan audio series, released a *Chrono Trigger* adaptation episode on May 30, 2025[3](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bit-by-beat/id1815850219) |
## History and precursors
Official scripted audio adaptations of games predate the podcast era. Konami produced an audio drama based on *Metal Gear Solid* that aired in twelve weekly installments on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting's Club db program between October 24, 1998 and January 9, 1999, and was then collected on two Drama CDs, Volume 1 released December 4, 1998 and Volume 2 released January 8, 1999[1](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_(audio_drama)).
Games have also used radio drama as an in-fiction device. Within *Fallout 4*, the Silver Shroud was a fictional radio show of 420 episodes (419 regular and one holiday special) written by Tina Hopkins for Hubris Comics and Galaxy News Network; the in-game radio plays themselves were written by the game's lead designer Emil Pagliarulo[4](https://fallout.wiki/wiki/The_Silver_Shroud_(franchise)). This is fiction inside a game rather than an adaptation of a game, but it shows franchises borrowing radio-drama conventions directly.
## Canon and creative relationships
The clearest documented example of how official audio tie-ins relate to game canon is the *Metal Gear Solid* drama. Its stories are not considered part of the [Metal Gear](https://www.edgepedia.org/metal-gear) canon; they are sidestories depicting hypothetical situations. The drama was directed by Shuyo Murata and written by the series' military adviser Motosada Mori[5](https://www.eurogamer.net/metal-gear-solids-90s-japanese-radio-drama-gets-an-english-fan-dubbing). In other words, the work was made by people affiliated with the franchise yet deliberately kept outside its continuity.
Fan productions can draw on official resources too. *CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story* features original voice actors reprising their roles, celebrity guests and an ensemble cast, and its showrunner Kenneth Vigue cites vintage radio horror such as *Lights Out: Murder Castle* as a formative influence[2](https://www.audiodrama.com/show/chad-a-fallout-76-story/).
## Fan-made and independent audio dramas
*CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story* was featured by Bethesda, the publisher of the Fallout series, and by Forbes Magazine[2](https://www.audiodrama.com/show/chad-a-fallout-76-story/).
The practice remains active after late 2023. Bit By Beat describes itself as a cinematic audio series that brings video games to life in a short-form episodic format, with each episode a dramatic retelling of iconic games using immersive soundscapes, voice acting, and original music; the project is non-commercial, created by fans for fans and distributed freely, and its *Chrono Trigger* adaptation episode was released May 30, 2025 with all rights disclaimed to [Square Enix](https://www.edgepedia.org/square-enix)[3](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bit-by-beat/id1815850219).
## By the numbers
Audience figures for game audio drama are unreliable. The *CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story* creator and distributor page claims over 1.5 million listeners[2](https://www.audiodrama.com/show/chad-a-fallout-76-story/), while an independent account gives over 160,000 downloads or listens as of July 2020. The larger figure is a self-claim on a promotional page. The disagreement is unresolved.
Any statement about whether these adaptations succeed commercially therefore lacks a measurement basis.
## References
1. [Metal Gear Solid (audio drama) - Metal Gear Wiki](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_(audio_drama))
2. [CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story - AudioDrama](https://www.audiodrama.com/show/chad-a-fallout-76-story/)
3. [Bit By Beat - Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bit-by-beat/id1815850219)
4. [The Silver Shroud (franchise) - Fallout Wiki](https://fallout.wiki/wiki/The_Silver_Shroud_(franchise))
5. [Metal Gear Solid's 90s radio drama gets an English fan dubbing | Eurogamer.net](https://www.eurogamer.net/metal-gear-solids-90s-japanese-radio-drama-gets-an-english-fan-dubbing)
6. [(Anime Radio Past and Present 4) "Radio Drama" and "Anime Radio" (Part 2)｜南澤まひろ](https://note.com/m_minamizawa/n/n745c5a599443?hl=en)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Digital play culture and society › Games in other media and vice versa › Audio, stage, and other performative adaptations of video games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026 · Last review: Sep 19, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license