The ever approachingFallout 76from Bethesda Softworks is taking the franchise in a different direction when it launches this November. For the first time ever, the series will not release as a single-player game, but rather as an online survival RPG, bringing players together in the wastelands of West Virginia across dedicated servers around the globe. Like most games that follow a ‘live service’ model, such asDestiny 2orThe Division,fans will want to know how long Bethesda intends to supportFallout 76once it launches.
Thankfully for fans, there appear to be good intentions when talking about the support expected followingFallout 76’s release. In an interview with Metro, Bethesda’s VP of Marketing Pete Hines claims support forFallout 76will go on ‘forever.’ To further prove his point, examples such as2015’sFallout 4and 2011’sThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimwere brought up as proof Bethesda knows what it’s doing.
“….you go online and look at how many people are playingFallout 4andSkyrim.Those games have been out for four and seven years, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of people playing those games every single day, every single month.”
Going back even further, Hines elaborated on the matter by bringing up 2008’sFallout 3. Feedback from around the time when player counts were at their peak was that people were upset that the game eventually would ‘end.’ With this in mind, Bethesda added DLC to the game which removed the game’s ending, and allowed players to continue on. Of course, Hines mentioned plans can always change in respect toFallout 76once the community has their hands on the game.
“So76is going to be like that. We have some ideas for this and that, but let’s see what people want more of. Let’s see what they respond to and support it.”
The seemingly lengthy, if ever ending plans to supportFallout 76shows the transparency Bethesda is willing to have with its audience. It also explains why Bethesda is offering those participating in the beta next monthaccess to the entire game, while also allowing players to share any photos or video clips to their liking, as more content appears to be already planned for the near future and beyond.
History has shown there’s also been continued support from Bethesda even in their single-player games. When asked recently about why the company continues to portThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimto new hardware, Game Director Todd Howard said they’ll continue to do so until people stop buying it. Even with the skeptisim ofFalloutmoving to an online-only experience, itdoesn’t mean a permanent change in the series, according to director Todd Howard.
Fallout 76launches on November 14th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
