E3 2018: 5 Ups & 5 Downs From Bethesda's Conference

2. Fallout 76 Releases 14 November, Is An Always-Online RPG

Bethesda devoted almost a half-hour of their show to talking about Fallout 76 and finally pulling back the curtain on exactly what it is. Todd Howard revealed that the game is the franchise's first ever online multiplayer title, though it can also be played fully solo like a conventional Fallout game.

Still, multiplayer is the clear emphasis, with players able to team up with pals and randoms alike to build bases, take down epic monsters (even a giant sloth!) and battle opposing human players. Howard referred to the game's survival elements as "softcore survival", with no progress or gear being lost in the event of death.

There's also the intriguing ability to collect launch codes for one of the many nuclear silos scattered around the gigantic map - which is four-times the size of Fallout 4's - and launch a nuclear strike on an enemy camp.

We still don't know if V.A.T.S. will be making a return - it seems rather unlikely - or whether mods will be integrated into the online experience, but Fallout 76 is certainly shaping up to be the most ambitious Fallout game yet. Fans won't have to wait too long to play it, either: it releases on 14 November, and a public beta is planned before then.

It remains to be seen whether or not Fallout 76 will also be a truly satisfying single-player experience on par with their previous titles, but it's nothing if not an intriguing direction in which to take the franchise.