Betheseda Game Studios Mess Up Yet Again with Fallout 76

Follow WHIP Twitter Facebook Instagram

WRITTEN BY: Ricardo Burks III

Fallout 76 released to pretty much instant disdain in the video game community. Players had the opportunity to explore West Virginia in a post apocalyptic setting set in the expansive Fallout universe.

The game shipped ridden with bugs and other errors that greatly diminished the game’s
performance and the overall fun. Youtube videos began to pop up by the hundreds as content
creators began documenting their Fallout 76 experience. Problems ranged from textures not loading into the game to enemies, unable to be beaten, or just letting themselves be killed.

The game shipped with no human Non Playable Characters (NPC); which are a stable to Bethesda franchise games. Without human NPCs, players thought the story felt stale and there was no element of immersion. The Player vs Player (PVP) also suffered to bugs and uninspired gameplay mechanics according to Angry Joe, a gaming Youtuber with near 3 million subscribers.

The controversy further increased with players who purchased the collector’s edition of
the game receiving their collectible armor helmet in a cheap nylon bag despite earlier promises.
Players who demanded refunds were given 500 in game currency points which equates to
roughly five US dollars if given a refund at all.

With all the grievances players began to face, some took action in their own hands with
a civil suit aimed at the Maryland based game development studio. Law firm Migliaccio &
Rathod LLP spearhead the suit against Bethesda. The stance is that the game is a Deceptive
trade Practice seeing as it launched with a slew of bugs rendering it unplayable and many fans
who downloaded the game are not able to receive a refund.

Bethesda is known for its bug filled games yet many gamers think it adds to the
Bethesda charm. Bethesda’s cash cow Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a title that has been rereleased seven times now with terrible glitches. The game still made over 30 million US dollars.

Bethesda designer Todd Howard joked about how the internet claims their games are buggy at this past Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and then proceeded to launch Skyrim on the Amazon Alexa. Gamers gave a pass because it was Bethesda but now with Fallout 76, things changed. Whether the lawsuit pans out or Bethesda fixes their act, I will be wary on the next purchase I make from them. Oh Bethesda… ya blew it.