Bethesda is one of my favorite developers (and publishers), with a historic lineup of games. Publishing such games as the rebooted Wolfenstein and Doom series, as well as such unique titles such as Dishonored and Prey while also developing huge blockbuster franchises such as Fallout and Elder Scrolls. This is quite an impressive resume in both variety and success. However, with the upcoming release of Fallout 76, it is starting to feel like Bethesda may have had a lapse in judgment. Could Fallout 76 be in trouble?
Fallout 76 was revealed at E3 2018 with the pitch of that it was a whole new take on Fallout, to keep the fans happy between installments as well as present a new perspective on the longstanding franchise. This isn’t the first time the Fallout franchise has radically changed, as many console players first experiences with the series was with Fallout 3. Fallout 3 was a huge departure from the previous titles which were turn-based RPGs, featuring very strong story elements. Bethesda took those story elements and brought into the FPS genre to great success. While there were many doubters back then that the Fallout franchise would not adapt well to the FPS genre, and Bethesda proved many people wrong with the success of Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4. With having such a great track record of success with their franchises should we be doubting their direction with Fallout 76? The answer is yes, and the one reason that leaves me doubting the game the most is Bethesda’s open admittance that it could be a disaster at launch.
Bethesda put out a statement to its fans explaining why they decided to take the route they did with Fallout 76 and what to expect with the upcoming launch.
It is no secret that Bethesda games have been known to be glitchy and broken at launch requiring patches and bug fixes. There were issues in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that didn’t get fixed until the remaster for next-generation consoles as one of many glaring issues. With Bethesda coming out and stating there will be bugs, it doesn’t give consumers confidence. A lot of us are used to server issues with online only games, anyone who has played a Battlefield game at launch will know these frustrations. It is not unreasonable for there to be bugs and kinks that need to be worked out after launch, most developers have to do this. However, with this being Bethesda Softworks first foray into a multiplayer only game, with a world they claim is 4 times bigger than their last game. This just spells a recipe for trouble given their history. Even just looking at some of the issues that players faced in the B.E.T.A (Break-It Early Test Application) give very little confidence. The most notable bug was facing PC players as there was a bug that was causing the game to delete its 50GB file. Add on the fact that just in the B.E.T.A period alone people have already figured out how to hack the game and it does not bode well for Bethesda.
While I admire them trying to take Fallout in a new direction, I am not sure this was the way. If the whole purpose was to play Fallout with your friends why wouldn’t you have just made a co-op game you can play with four friends in a world filled with NPCs and quests that can all be completed with your friends? Logistically this would be much simpler and in the end accomplish the same goal, since the game basically penalizes you at every turn for attempting any form of PVP. This is not to say there aren’t good things that they have done with Fallout 76 however, these negatives have been weighing down my personal hype for the game. With Fallout being considered a staple in the RPG genre and with how Bethesda made such a stand for single-player games just a year ago there is certainly backlash looming. As a huge fan of what Bethesda does, as well as being a huge Fallout fan, I hope I am wrong. I truly want to be able to look back on this article and be able to laugh at how worried I was. It’s up to Bethesda now, and I wish them a smooth launch on November 14th when Fallout 76 launches.
What do you think of Fallout 76? Did you get a chance to play the B.E.T.A? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.