No one knew quite what to expect from Bethesda Game Studios when it announcedFallout 76back in 2018. It was going to be the studio’s first foray into multiplayer gaming and was going to build on the incredibly popularFallout 4. While it mostly delivered on that premise,Fallout 76also suffered from multiple controversies leading up to its release. It may not have made the impact that Bethesda wanted it to, but it is still going strong five years later.
Since 2018,Fallout 76has seen a slew of updatesthat have expanded it in new ways and have helped fix many of its problems. While it is still far from perfect, it has vastly improved since launch and has amassed a decent-sized player base. Players from all over have been enjoying the wasteland together, but those good times will not last forever. As the sixteenth update nears, it’s worth considering how much more this live-service game has to give.
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Fallout 76 Has Come a Long Way Since Launch
Fallout 76was very controversialupon release, but Bethesda has tried its best to deliver on the game’s promise. The visuals were lacking, the game world was barren, the gameplay felt like a slog, and it suffered from an assortment of technical issues at launch. The experience paled in comparison to the rest of theFalloutseries, and it was met with very mixed reviews at launch. While it still has plenty of issues, Bethesda has fixed a couple ofFallout 76’s shortcomings through many post-launch updates, bringing the game eventually to where it needed to be.
After a slew of bug fix updates, two major updates would expand upon the game in 2019 with new modes, quests, and things for players to do.Fallout 76would then go relatively quiet for about a year before Bethesda launcheda massive revamp known as the Wastelanders update. This update injected some much-needed life into the wasteland by introducing NPCs, new factions, a brand-new story, and many more additions. It helped makeFallout 76feel like an actualFalloutgame, and the game has not looked back since.
Since the Wastelanders update,Fallout 76has had a pretty consistent content stream. While none of the updates have been as big as that one, they have all given players a reason to keep logging back in. This consistency helpedFallout 76reach 13.5 million playersby the end of 2022, and it will likely continue to grow as the sixteenth update looms on the horizon.
Fallout 76’s History May Be Too Hard to Escape
Since its launch,Fallout 76has been shrouded in controversy.AFalloutonline gamesounded like an easy win, but many behind-the-scenes decisions caused it to fall flat upon release. It just was not fun for that first year, and numerous controversies like a lackluster special edition and microtransaction model did not help it at all. Many players wrote it off the minute they saw some gameplay, and it may be impossible to win those people back. Even with its steady growth,Fallout 76’s size is a far cry from what it could have been.
There are currently no signs that Bethesda is planning on shutting downFallout 76, but it may not have many years left. The studio iscurrently focused on gettingStarfieldandThe Elder Scrolls 6out the door. Depending upon what happens, Bethesda may end up divertingFallout 76resources to these other projects. While that would not kill the game, it could mean a slower content cycle. Recent updates already seem a bit smaller than previous ones, but maybe the next community calendar will make up for that.
Fallout 76may have improved considerably since launch, but it may not be enough to keep it running for years to come. Its rough edges have only become more apparent as the years have gone by, and its controversial past may be impossible to escape. Eventually, all online games must come to an end, andFallout 76’s end may be closer than some players realize.
Fallout 76is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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