In Fallout 76 there was a major drama about the 200€ “Power Armor Edition.” It was delivered with a cheap nylon bag instead of the expensive and noble canvas bag that was actually promised. For many, it was a symbol of the “Fallout 76” crisis. Now it has been rectified.
Why was there such a huge uproar? The “canvas” crisis unleashed the pent-up anger of the community towards Fallout 76 and Bethesda at release. Buyers felt deceived.
Actually, buyers of the Power Armor Edition were promised a canvas bag that was advertised as high-quality.
However, players received a cheap nylon bag.
The symbolic character was crucial here: Just as players had imagined Fallout 76 as a “high-quality, noble” product, as it was advertised, they received a “replacement” that they considered inferior.
This made many buyers really angry at the time.
Especially those who spend 200€ on a “Power Armor” edition are passionate Fallout and thus Bethesda fans and place a lot of trust in the studio.
The loyal supporters felt slapped in the face by the nylon bag. The sentiment became, “This is not the Bethesda I love and trust anymore.”
A supposedly minor issue boiled up in the forums into a significant problem.
This made the situation even worse: When people got upset, Bethesda initially responded with false reactions. They stated that “there was not enough material to procure,” that the canvas was too scarce.
This ultimately turned people against Bethesda. They considered it a really lame excuse.
They poured ridicule over Bethesda: “Canvas – the rarest material in the world,” they sneered. They spoke of the “great canvas shortage of 2018.”
Because influencers received a different bag that was actually made of canvas, the mood became more tense. It only cooled off when Bethesda then capitulated in early December and stated: We will send you the bags.
This is how the crisis is now resolved: Months after the uproar, buyers of the 200€ edition of Fallout 76 have finally received their canvas bags.
The bag is indeed much better than the old nylon bag, as early players report.
On the US sites, some journalists are having fun that such a seemingly trivial matter turned into such a PR disaster for Bethesda. They refer to it as a “SAGA” – but the symbolic effect here was indeed strong.
The irony is: Just as the canvas crisis was resolved, the anger towards Fallout 76 seems to be easing. Recently, the game has been getting significantly better vibes.
