Fallout 76 sparks more fan anxiety about direction of series

The Verge ^ | Jun 11, 2018, 3:06pm EDT | Patricia Hernandez

[BenLurkin]

Fallout may be one of the biggest AAA gaming franchises around, but over the last few years the post-apocalyptic series has found itself in turmoil. What started out as a gritty narrative-driven role-playing game has, with the release of 2016’s Fallout 4, transformed into more of a silly action game. And with the reveal of Fallout 76 at E3 this year, some fans are convinced the series has fully lost its way.

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Veteran fans are disappointed with this news, because they’re used to playing meaty, narrative-driven single-player RPGs without being harassed by other people. Given that Bethesda introduced these new concepts by stating that “some of your fellow survivors may not be neighborly,” it sounds like they’re expecting Fallout 76 to be a chaotic experience, rather than an introspective one.

Already, the reaction to Fallout 76 leans negative within more hardcore circles. On the Fallout Reddit, one of the top threads is titled “‘You can play solo, but you SHOULD play multiplayer!’ will ruin the franchise.” On Twitter, fans are debating back and forth whether or not Fallout 76 will “ruin” the series, too. And on the ResetEra forum, posters seem split on whether or not online will make for a good Fallout experience.

“I’m fairly certain this new title won’t take story or lore very seriously,” one fan in the Reddit thread lamented. “The sad part is that 95 percent of us won’t be bombing each other,” another wrote. “It’s the stupid ass five percent which will ruin the game for us.”

[thescourged1]

Another Bioshock is in development by 2K, but without the original team from Irrational Games. No telling how it will come out.

[thescourged1]

FO4 was a big improvement on the overall mechanics and gameplay. The writing is where the letdown was. Hardcore FO fans play for the story, lore, and immersion. They’ve been willing to overlook a buggy engine for those things.