Fallout 76 is a Dangerous Step for Bethesda

Since its release, Fallout 76 has become one of the lowest rated games of 2018. The game's massive technical issues and minimalist gameplay has had critics and gamers livid of how such a product was released. However, Fallout 76 is much more dangerous than it might seem for Bethesda, for not just 2018 but all future products.

The most infamous problem for Fallout 76 is the unfinished state the game was released in. Bethesda titles are notorious for having bugs but this went fall beyond the PlayStation 3 releases of Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; which are also part of Bethesda's infamous history. The game is nearly unplayable due to the frame rate, unfinished missions, and enemies that can move at light-speed.

This isn't the first time large companies have released titles in unfinished states. Assassin's Creed Unity and Halo: The Master Chief Collection released in such crude states that Ubisoft and Microsft had to compensate the consumers with free DLC but Bethesda has nothing to offer. Since all content for Fallout 76 is free as part of the game's live service model there's very little that Bethesda can do to reclaim the respect that has surely dropped since the release of this premium early access title. What followed just added fuel to the fire.

After being sold for $60 many gamers were looking for a refund and weren't able to secure one. Whereas Steam and Microsoft offer a consumer-friendly approach to digital refunds Bethesda has done the opposite. Since Fallout 76 was only available through Bethesda's launcher gamers were subject to their terms and condition which led to many unable to get a refund. This has also prompted a law firm to look into Bethesda concerning Fallout 76.

What's worse is that the game has been nearly slashed from its original price to $35, which is the lowest price recorded as of writing this article. Early adopters who trusted Bethesda to deliver a solid problem have had their confidence in the company destroyed and will likely avoid day-1 purchases from not only Bethesda developed games but titles published under its brand. Meaning that future pre-orders will suffer because of Fallout 76. It's also very unlikely that consumers will believe Bethesda about future titles considering how misleading the marketing for Fallout 76 was.

It's possible for Bethesda to fix Fallout 76 similar to how Hello Games changed No Man's Sky but this scar will remain with the company forever. Gamers will question all of Bethesda's products now and avoid pre-ordering titles before the games are released. Fallout 76 was a dangerous step for Bethesda and one that will require a lot of work to recover from.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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