Last February, Bethesda released a 2022 roadmap for Fallout 76, showcasing a wide range of new additions coming to the game. These included new extraterrestrial enemies and a special update that took players all the way to The Pitt. Many players were happy to see these improvements, as they meant the Fallout 76 team had exciting things in store.
This was further established in March as Fallout 76 design director Mark Tucker revealed he was working on three- and five-year roadmaps for the game. He admits that the five-year roadmap is a bit “fuzzier” down the timeline, but assures players that the team plans to continue updating Fallout 76.
What Fallout 76’s Five-Year Plan Entails
Despite Fallout 76’s problematic launch, many are pleased with how far the title has come. Since its release in 2018, the game has considerably fewer bugs and much more content for players to enjoy - not to mention NPCs. Following the release of Fallout 76’s 2022 roadmap, it seems the game has no intention of halting its updates.
There’s been little word about Fallout 76’s mysterious five-year plan. According to Tucker, the first three years of the roadmap are pretty concrete and understood among Fallout 76’s internal development team. This would suggest that Fallout 76 already has content plotted out until at least 2024.
As for the plans for the following years, these are less specific. Tucker emphasizes the importance of player feedback, which the team will use to shape and improve upcoming Fallout 76 content. Given this, it seems the plans for 2025 and 2026 will remain on the drawing board until new updates are released.
This is likely why there hasn’t been any news on Fallout 76’s plans beyond 2022. Based on Tucker’s description, the five-year roadmap seems to be an internal tool, probably meant to give a rough rundown of upcoming Fallout 76 content while still being flexible enough to consider player criticisms. That said, all the community knows for sure is that Fallout 76 will be getting updates for the next five years, at least.
Community Feedback and Elder Scrolls Online Comparisons
Despite having little to go on, the community has much to say about the five-year plan based on the state of Fallout 76 in 2022. One common complaint is the lack of new, worthwhile content. A number of players are hoping for more than four content drops per year, including more than just time-bound events and technical game fixes.
Perhaps this is why plenty in the Fallout 76 community have high hopes for Expeditions: The Pitt. The update takes players all the way to an area from Fallout 3, introducing new characters and enemies. Hopefully the new location brings forth a worthwhile experience, and not just more tedious daily ops. In fact, the Expeditions feature could bring some varied, permanent content to the world of Fallout 76 - which is exactly what players want.
Aside from new content, other players think it would be worthwhile for Fallout 76 to flesh out previously established elements. For instance, there’s plenty of potential to expand the “Invaders from Beyond” event that simply requires the player to fight off an oncoming alien invasion. Fallout 76 could add to the Appalachian alien lore with more quests about the extraterrestrial visitors, perhaps having players investigate a mystery surrounding alien abduction that would shed more light on their intentions.
There are plenty of other events and creatures in Fallout 76 that would benefit from long-winded, story-driven quests. The “Mothman Equinox” is one such event, as it features the elusive Mothman and a religious cult that follows it. The other terrifying cryptids in Fallout 76 are also prime candidates for narrative quests - from the Grafton monsters to the snallygasters, all the way to the strange sheepsquatches. These quests could be somewhat like the “Key to the Past” mission, which revolved around the local wendigos, building on the cryptid’s lore.
Finally, some players have voiced their frustration with how Fallout 76 fares compared to The Elder Scrolls Online. ESO released back in 2014, yet it’s still getting regular, hefty updates with plenty of content for players to experience. Though the new content comes in the form of paid updates, they still provide ESO players with a quality product. It’s a stark difference when compared to Fallout 76, and Fallout 76 players can’t help but feel disheartened - even with the supposed five-year roadmap in place.
Fallout 76’s Future in Light of Upcoming Bethesda Titles
On a related note, there’s something to be said about how Bethesda’s upcoming projects affect the status of Fallout 76. For instance, a recent report suggests that Todd Howard neglected Fallout 76 in favor of Starfield, and this doesn’t bode well, especially with The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 being the next titles on the checklist.
Even with a five-, seven-, or ten-year plan in place, Fallout 76 isn’t going to get any better if the company doesn’t give it the resources it needs. As previously touched uoon, ESO is an excellent example of a live-service game that keeps fans engaged with regular content updates because the title has a dedicated team behind it. Granted, The Elder Scrolls series is more popular than Fallout, so that’s likely why the former has such a strong team behind it. However, that doesn’t excuse Fallout 76’s dismal launch and lack of new content.
At the end of the day, taking on new projects is not an excuse to botch ongoing ones, and Fallout 76 is an ongoing project that still needs to prove itself. Hopefully, Bethesda starts treating it with more love and care before moving on to The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: AusGamers