Fallout: Where Bethesda Went Wrong

Where did it all go so wrong?

By Andy Murray /

Bethesda

Let’s face it: The Fallout franchise hasn’t held the same level of prestige amongst fans since the disastrous launch of Fallout 76, and the comedy of errors that proceeded it. From the infamous Bag Gate scandal, huge patches that caused game-breaking bugs, and the introduction of a paid subscription that gives players an unfair advantage, it’s easy to see how this game has become the target of ridicule.

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It would be far too easy to go through every issue that has tarnished this spin-off - as they are the main reasons that caused the downfall of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic franchise - but the problems with Fallout started to rear their head long before 76 hit shelves.

No, something was amiss with the release of Fallout 4 in 2015.

This isn’t to say that Fallout 4 is a bad game in any way (in fact it scored well with both players and critics). Contrarily, Fallout 4 had the misfortune of being the follow-up to New Vegas, which showed players what the Fallout series could – and should - be.

Before proceeding any further, it’s worth going over a brief timeline of the series to understand the bigger picture