Fallout 76, announced Wednesday morning, remains a huge mystery. Beyond what's shown in a short teaser trailer, Bethesda's decided to reserve unveiling gameplay until a later date. Until then, fans are scrounging for any leaks or rumors that may be associated with the now official post-apocalyptic title. The results may be even more surprising than the announcement, for if the leaks are true, the game may be an online multiplayer "Rust clone."

Knowing that the game's title is Fallout 76, Internet sleuths have been able to search through online archives for references to the game prior to its announcement. They're looking for leaks that went unnoticed. A handful of results were immediately discovered, stemming from both 4chan and Reddit, with one post on the former site even revealing the game's title as early as December 2017.

Here's what three different posts on 4chan made by anonymous users, as collected by Twitter user Nibel, said about Fallout 76:

  • "fallout 76, a fallout themed Rust clone coming soon"
  • "**** if I know if it's going to be at E3. It's called Fallout 76, I heard about it over the holidays so it might've been canned."
  • "it's called Fallout 76 and the map is set alongside an interstate highway"

Note that all of these potential leaks are highly suspect. These anonymous posters may just have been making up their information and got lucky, or they may have known a little and made up the rest. Nevertheless, they did have the correct title prior to an official Fallout 76 announcement.

rust screenshot

The Reddit leak is a little bit different in that it's not from a wholly anonymous source. The user SoMeh revealed Bethesda would be announcing "Fallout: Vault 76" just hours before the official reveal. They described the game as, "a game surrounding the base building element." Coincidentally, SoMeh also vouches for the Nintendo E3 Showcase leak that many dismissed as faked.

More reputable sources are getting in on the fun, too. Jason Schreier of Kotaku is reporting that he's heard, unofficially, that Fallout 76 is an online game being co-developed by the main Bethesda studio and Battlecry Studios. Battlecry is known for working on a team-based online multiplayer hero shooter, also named Battlecry, that's been canceled. Schreier says anyone expecting a single-player RPG will be "disappointed."

Exactly what Fallout 76 is will likely have to wait until Bethesda's E3 2018 media showcase on June 10. Is it indeed an online multiplayer "Rust clone," set in Vault 76 alongside an interstate highway, built around Fallout 4's settlement building feature? Time will tell. Nevertheless, there's very likely a good reason Bethesda felt comfortable announcing a new Fallout game, but remained unwilling to show any gameplay just yet.

More details for Fallout 76 will be announced at the Bethesda E3 Showcase on Sunday, June 10.

Sources: Reddit, Twitter, Kotaku