A player apparently ignored the non-disclosure agreement for the network test of Fallout 76 and posted a gameplay recording anyway. Now Bethesda and Microsoft are taking action.
Last Saturday, on October 13, there was a stress test for the servers of Fallout 76. This was only accessible to a select group of Xbox players and was under strict confidentiality. Such a confidentiality agreement is called an “NDA” in English.
What is covered by the confidentiality? These rules must be followed by participants in the test:
- No photos, videos, or audio recordings may be taken or distributed
- Other players are not allowed to watch while playing
- The game must not be left unattended
A player apparently deliberately ignored this agreement, and the penalties did not take long to appear.
Despite warnings, a player violates the NDA
The case was published by Reddit user Carjbee317 and has caused some ridicule. His “friend Mike” is said to be one of the people who spread content from Fallout 76 despite the NDA.
What happened? The player posted a 1:30-minute recording of the network test on Twitter and is now facing the consequences.
He couldn’t have known that, right? Besides the fact that the NDA rules are displayed before playing, the player even ignored the warnings from Carjbee317. He has stated that he tried to dissuade Mike from a publication.
These are the consequences: In a second post he describes more precisely how his friend “Mike” is now being punished.
- He loses his gold membership and is excluded from additional programs like Xbox Insider and the Game Pass until January 1, 2019
- Mike is not allowed to participate in further stress tests or the beta of Fallout 76
- At least his Twitter account has been reinstated.
Carjbee317 urges everyone once again to never violate the NDA.
The case is making the rounds and even on YouTube, there are warnings against violating the NDA.
YouTuber JuiceHead speculates that many players may not have read the NDA provisions properly, as the warning about this may have been too inconspicuous.
This is how the community reacts:
- Most believe that Mike is being punished rightly so.
- It doesn’t take much to read the NDA, and those who do not do so are simply fools.
- After all, this not only violates the terms of the publishers and manufacturers, but also strays into very thin legal ice.
- Nonetheless, some fans find some of the rules questionable. For example, it seems excessive that theoretically no one else is allowed to see the game, which is not so easy with other residents in close proximity.
By the way, Bethesda has now announced on Twitter that there will be further stress tests. When and for which platform is still unknown.
Do you want to stay up-to-date in Fallout 76? If you don’t want to miss any news, just follow our Facebook page for Fallout 76 and always be supplied with news, guides, and specials.
