Summary
Fallout 76is launching season 17 and proving that, somehow, it’s got a lot left to give players despite its historical hiccups. The franchise is finally receiving the love it was destined to, with theFalloutseries on Amazon Prime turning fans onto the games that proved Bethesda’s RPG talents even beyond theElder Scrollsfranchise.Falloutalways deserved to come out on top, and now it officially has.
Perhaps better planning could have been executed on Bethesda’s part, though. People are heavily divided about the series at the best of times, with many regarding the first two top-down titles as the “real” games in the series, engaging in social media firefights with fans of bothFallout 3andNew Vegas, that together pushed the franchise to immeasurable heights. Even so, there is a new collection of people joining the fray – those who loved the recentAmazon PrimeFalloutseriesand its reflection of a grim and sometimes cartoonish apocalypse, looking to find insight into the carnage of desolate America.
Many New Fans Don’t Know The Horrors That Fallout 76 Endured
The release ofFallout 76was, as attested by leagues ofFalloutfans, a true horror show. The game debuted withbugs in unfathomable quantities, a pre-order drama featuring promotional canvas bags that were replaced with cheap nylon counterparts, and a gameplay style that, to many, flew in the face of theFalloutethos.Storytelling was sacrificed in the live-service interpretation of the world, and worst of all, the gameplay was largely panned.Falloutfans were disappointed, and Bethesda was shamed.
Bethesda eventually rectified the issue with the nylon bags given to purchasers ofFallout 76’s Power Armor Edition. Roughly seven months after launch, canvas bags as advertised were shipped to replace the nylon ones which sparked the controversy.
However,Fallout 76has since been on a mission to leave its launch behind. Consistent updates have offered the remaining players more and more content to play around with in hopes that Appalachia will turn from wasteland to toybox, and though it hasn’t won the hearts of everyone, it seems to be doing its best. And now, thanks to the popularity of theFalloutshow, it has found itself a new audience. From its disastrous beginnings to the triumph it’s now become in Season 17,it’sclear thatFallout 76has completely turned itself around.
It has still suffered frustration from the most dedicated RPG purists, but after adding NPCs to interact with in the Wastelanders update, introducing more armor and weapons to bolster the game’s RPG mechanics and patching up its nuke system,Fallout 76has earned its home. Bethesda has been working tirelessly to reinventFallout 76, and it has joined the upper echelon of the company’s excitement hierarchy. But its differences still set it apart - and now that theFalloutTV series has brought new interest to the franchise,it has found itself the unexpected star of the show.
Fallout 76 Has Become The Series' Leading Title
The Once-Panned Game Is Now The Easiest Point Of Entry
As players step into theFalloutvideo games, it’s easy to see why many are opting for the first thing available to them – the easy-to-access, new-gen optimizedFallout 76. The game has, perhaps by being first in line when “Fallout” is searched on Steam, become the most immediately accessible in the series. Many players may not know thatFallout 76is a step away from the single-player, narrative-led open-world adventure that birthed it, and that they’re playing a very different kind of game, even in spite of some great improvements made over the years.
Season 17 is proof of the longevity of the game and its real redemption arc in the eyes of the fans.
That’s not to say thatFallout 76hasn’t managed to work with what it has – the upcoming Season 17 is introducing a new Boy Scouts theme that comes with a collection of camping-themed cosmetics which remains dedicated to the tongue-in-cheek nature ofFallout. Season 17 is proof of the longevity of the game and its real redemption in the eyes of the fans, which is especially impressive considering how many expected the game to quickly die following its release.
Fallout 76has taken a dip since it peaked two months ago after the release of theFalloutseries (according toSteamDB) and spending years in free fall is proof that merely existing is the key to its success – and its decline since reflects a lack of interest in the actual content. Few games have experienced success without excitement like this, and it might reflect a strange future. Even ifGod of War’s expected seriesorHorizon’s uncast Netflix debutcreate the same buzz, players will still default to games that reflect their series' ethos.
Both player and critical perception ofFallout 76has turned upward, as evidenced by the game’s Mostly Positive rating onSteamandIGN’s 2024 re-review of the game increasing its score from 5/10 to 7/10.
There’s No Community Like The Fallout 76 Community
Fans Rally Round
Fallout 76is trying its very best, and though it has failed in the past, it has at least one audience. There are dedicatedFallout 76players, but the game is also populated by the confused, wondering where next to turn, and it’s likely theirFalloutjourney won’t end with the game. Season 17 has successfully proven that by being an easy entry point,Fallout 76has found a way to succeed.
It’s going to be fascinating for many to see whatFallout 76does next, especially as this final squeeze of popularity comes many years into its lifespan. Season 17 is a bonus for players, but how much it can actually achieve is down to its small, dedicated playerbase and any new fans it can keep interested.Fallout 76has persisted despite its backlash, and frankly, it’s earned a pat on the back for that alone.
Sources:SteamDB,Steam,IGN
Fallout 76
Released in 2018, Fallout 76 is Bethesda’s first foray into a massively multiplayer online world centered around Fallout. In this release, players find themselves in Appalachia, where they must do what they can to survive and rebuild the world around them. Players are free to meet other players and embark on quests across the wasteland.
