Bethesda has been signalling the announcement since yesterday and, on a stream today, Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard appeared to introduce the game, and explained that there would be more at E3.
It’s not yet clear what kind of game Fallout 76 will be, or which of Bethesda’s studios has been involved in developing it. However, Fallout 76 is currently available for pre-order at the standard $59.99, suggesting it will not be a free-to-play game. It is currently only confirmed for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
The titular Vault 76 has previously been mentioned but never seen in previous Fallout games. A “control vault” containing 500 occupants, living in Vault 76 doesn’t appear to involve the cruel experiments most Vaults in the series have been known for.
It’s also not clear where Vault 76 is located, but the song used in the teaser, ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’ does mention “West Virginia”, which could be a clue. Prior Fallout lore also gives us a clue about Fallout 76’s setting.
Fallout 76 Gameplay: Reportedly an “Online Survival RPG”
According to sources speaking anonymously to Kotaku, Fallout 76 reportedly will be an online survival RPG, along the lines of DayZ or Rust. According to Kotaku, Fallout 76 will still have quests and a story, as well as base building and “survival-based and multiplayer mechanics.” The gameplay is “rapidly changing,” though, according to Kotaku.
As for story details, IGN’s own Jordan Oloman spotted what could be a date for the game’s setting – October 27, 2102 – which would place it canonically before every other Fallout game released so far. It’s also worth noting that October 28 was the release date for Fallout 3, 10 years ago – perhaps just a coincidence, but interesting nonetheless. Kotaku reports that its sources say Fallout 76 will be an online game, and is a co-development between Bethesda’s core Maryland studio and its Austin office. Perhaps that makes it the “bleeding-edge AAA freemium game” we saw was in development last year? We’ll likely only learn more at Bethesda’s June 10 E3 showcase – here’s everything else we expect to see there. Fallout 76 is available for preorder at Amazon, Walmart, and other online retailers for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
IGN
