Bethesda Quashes Rumour That Fallout 76 Might Go Free-to-Play
In the last couple of days, several news outlets had begun to report on a rumour that Bethesda had plans to make Fallout 76 free-to-play. This developed in relation to supposed reports that physical copies of Fallout 76 were running low in Australia (reports of fairly questionable veracity). Although the story was fairly unbelievable, it began to circulate online. As a result, Bethesda has now set the record straight. No, they have no plans to make Fallout 76 free-to-play.
There Are No Plans to Make Fallout 76 Free-to-Play
It should come as no surprise that Bethesda has no plans to change Fallout 76 over to a free-to-play model. The game has only been out for a few months; if Bethesda were to suddenly make it free, every fan who has bought the game would be furious. Indeed, it was a fan Tweet reflecting that sentiment which provoked Bethesda’s clarification. When a fan complained that they would want their money back and that the game going free-to-play would be a “slap in the face,” Bethesda stated; “There is no truth to this rumour.”
https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/1087775312849571841
It’s theoretically possible that Fallout 76 could eventually transition to a free-to-play model. Certainly, some MMOs have done so in the past. However, it would probably be years before Bethesda would even consider undertaking such a move. The game would need to be profitable purely through micro-transactions, considering that all of its DLC is already free and being funded by micro-transaction sales. The game has only been available for a few rather troubled months, after all. It’s extremely unlikely that Bethesda would have the confidence to change their business model anytime soon.
When it comes to what Bethesda is actually planning, there is due to be another game update coming before the end of the month. Bethesda also recently teased an upcoming “hardcore” PvP mode, said to be coming soon, although they haven’t yet revealed a firm release date.