Fallout 76 launched with many issues and was not well received in many places. The Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Games Studios, Todd Howard, discusses the background and future in an interview.
Who is speaking? Todd Howard is the Vice President of Bethesda Softworks and the lead developer at the studio known primarily for the development of the “The Elder Scrolls” and “Fallout” games.
In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, Howard talked about the company’s past, the rise with The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and the development of the Fallout series.
A particular point is that Fallout 76 was received extremely critically at its launch. Howard also believes that things went wrong.
“We disappointed a lot of people”
What did Fallout get wrong? According to Todd Howard, Fallout 76 was supposed to be something different, something new. And it did become that, but apparently it was not well received:
Where the survival aspects worked for many people, we quickly realized that the game didn’t really give our audience what they wanted and they were really disappointed with what they got on Day 1. Without a doubt, we disappointed a lot of people.
We wanted to do something different, but people don’t always want something different. And that’s not their fault, it’s totally understandable. I think we didn’t do a good job explaining how different it would be.
Two of the biggest criticisms that have come up repeatedly since release were the lack of NPCs and the state of PvP in the game. Both were things that apparently did not sit well with players.
In particular, PvP was a recurring point of discussion. Fallout 76 had mechanics against griefers, but that did not prevent players from ruining the fun for others. The developers’ plan was apparently a conflict-laden world. But the players’ idea was entirely different, as Todd Howard also noted at E3 2019:
The absence of NPCs led to the new wasteland feeling lifeless in a bad way. It lacked the depth that is usually inherent in Fallout games, as there were no characters to fill the world with life and stories.
Why didn’t Fallout 76 die? Despite the criticism, according to Howard, some players simply didn’t want Fallout 76 to die:
Ultimately, and despite the issues and well-deserved criticism, many people played. Not to the extent of a regular Fallout, but millions played and told us that there was something there, so we kept at it.
Shortly after the release in November 2018, Howard himself said, that Fallout 76 was not good, but it would be. And that promise has been kept.
A better Fallout, a better future?
How it has improved: The issue with NPCs was already resolved in the huge Wastelanders update one year after release. The first human characters returned to Appalachia along with the players.
With Wastelanders also came the release of Fallout 76 on Steam, which received significantly better reviews than before on Metacritic. The update has apparently resolved many of the criticisms that were previously an issue.
Additionally, the PvP has been further toned down. Peaceful players have been better protected, it has become increasingly difficult to simply take down other players, and PvP now primarily exists only in specific PvP areas (at workshops) or in the Battle Royale Nuclear Winter.
Finally, the huge update One Wasteland has given the game another turn. This introduced dynamic levels, allowing enemies to adjust to the players’ level. This promotes group play and keeps content interesting for veterans.
Here’s the podcast: Can Fallout 76 still make a turnaround?
What’s next? Steel Dawn, the new winter update for Fallout 76, will be released in December. This will bring, among other things, the legendary Steel Brotherhood – which in my opinion is the best thing that can happen to the game.
In the interview, Project Lead Jeff Gardiner revealed to us that Fallout 76 is getting better and how that is supposed to work. The lessons learned from the past have apparently borne fruit.
Howard himself says about the future that the studio may work more frequently on multiplayer titles:
All in all, it has been a very positive experience for us. It has made us much better developers, much more connected with the community. So I can’t say this will remain a one-time thing.
What do you think about the development of Fallout 76?
