Bethesda's Todd Howard took to the stage at Microsoft's E3 2018 event to show off Fallout 76. The game predates every Fallout game prior and is the company's biggest Fallout game yet. In addition to this the Fallout 76 trailer showed off lush locales and pre-war structures. Furthermore, all of the footage looked to be in-game, which is always a good thing. More so when it's rumoured to hit the Xbox One, PS4, and Windows PC this year. Since it takes place before other Fallout games we could see the likes of the Enclave and the genesis of species such as Super Mutants.
Howard also stated that Fallout 4 will be playable via Xbox Game Pass from today. Previously it was suggested that Fallout 76 would focus on multiplayer. While the trailer didn't indicate this, we should know for sure at Bethesda's conference.
According to a report from Kotaku, Fallout 76 is an online survival role-playing game (RPG) will elements not too dissimilar to Rust and DayZ. Citing "three people familiar with the project" it appears that Fallout 76 is an experimental entry in the post-apocalyptic series, sporting online functionality and gameplay heavily-inspired by the likes of Rust and DayZ.
"Originally prototyped as a multiplayer version of Fallout 4 with the goal of envisioning what an online Fallout game might look like, Fallout 76 has evolved quite a bit over the past few years, those sources said. It will have quests and a story, like any other game from Bethesda Game Studios, a developer known for meaty RPGs like Skyrim," writes Kotaku's Jason Schreier.
"It will also feature base-building—just like 2015's Fallout 4—and other survival-based and multiplayer mechanics, according to those sources. One source cautioned that the gameplay is rapidly changing, like it does in many 'online service' games, but that’s the core outline."
Earlier in the day, Kotaku claimed Fallout 76 would have an online component. Given its track record, we won't be surprised if this turns out to be true. That said, it is disheartening that Bethesda decided to tread this route with what possibly is its most successful franchise given the sheer number of online survival games doing the rounds. If this is true, it's particularly dreadful when you consider how Bethesda went out of its way to differentiate itself with a campaign to save single-player games late last year.
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