The Fallout series is one of the most well-regarded and beloved in gaming. Nearly every entry into the franchise has been a critical hit, as well as commercial. One game, however, is a bit of a disappointment compared to others; Fallout 76. And in a recent interview with The Guardian, Bethesda director and executive producer Todd Howard commented on the title that he called a 'let down.'
Leading up to the launch of Fallout 76 in 2018, many fans were concerned that the game would not live up to the standards of the series, thanks in part to the game changing the formula of the franchise by being an online-focused title. Unfortunately, Fallout 76 did not review well in the end, something that Todd Howard acknowledges.
In attempting to evolve with the times, Bethesda wanted an online-focused Fallout title. Single-player games are still very much a part of the developer and publisher, but with Fallout 76, Bethesda was hoping to create a new experience. But Fallout 76 launched in a broken state, filled with glitches. In addition, the game left behind some of the staples of the series, while still managing to mishandle its new multiplayer elements. In doing this, Howard says of he and Bethesda that "we let a lot of people down."
Obviously, we’re big fans of single player and we’ve had some success with some multiplayer-focused games. We have found that even if it’s multiplayer, whether it’s Elder Scrolls Online or Fallout 76, a large number of our players want to play it like a single-player game and not have the other players distract from it. Games handle multiplayer in different ways, and I think it all has merit.
Eventually, ZeniMax (which was acquired by Microsoft) admitted that it misled fans about Fallout 76. While it is nice that the truth was revealed, it was still disappointing to many fans. Howard claims that making multiplayer-focused games is very much different than single-player, which is something the team had to learn the hard way.
After many updates, Fallout 76 eventually stabilized and was given enough content to make it a more viable experience. The game still sees content updates, with the Steel Dawn update in Fallout 76 being the newest. First impressions are extremely important, though. So while the game is at least better than it was at launch, there are plenty of fans who have already completely moved on and are waiting for the next full-fledged single-player Fallout title.
Another aspect that is a bit of a bummer is that Fallout fans will likely need to wait a long time for another entry. The mainline Bethesda development team takes its time creating each game, and Starfield and a new Elder Scrolls come first, before Fallout. But apparently, there are some exciting secret Bethesda games in development, so the hope is that the next single-player Fallout game isn't too far away.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: The Guardian