Fallout 76 was formally announced last month at E3. However, fans had suspected another Fallout game for months prior, due to a variety of clues. However, it seems that Bethesda predated everyone’s suspicions with its first tease of Fallout 76 which, it has emerged, comes within the first few minutes of the Fallout 4 opening.
Bethesda’s Stealthy Tease of Fallout 76
During the Fallout 4 opening, after you choose finish character creation in the bathroom mirror, you walk through to the house’s kitchen/living room area. Pay attention here and look at the television; a program is playing which mentions the opening of Vault 76 in honor of America’s tercentenary. The broadcast is quickly interrupted by the early events of the story. However, if you listen closely, you can hear a momentary teaser for Fallout 76.
“Since debuting Vault 76 last year,” says the on-screen news anchor; “in honor of America’s tercentenary, Vault-Tec continues to expand with plans for well over one hundred vaults around the country.”
If you’re not paying attention, the information is easy to miss. As you explore the house or speak to the Vault-Tec representative to assign your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points; the television can easily fade into the background ambiance of Fallout’s pre-war setting.
This isn’t the first time Vault 76 has been mentioned in a Fallout game. However, it might have been the only time when the reference was included intentionally by Bethesda; perhaps because they knew what their plans were for the future. Bethesda have stated in the past that they plan their games many years in advance, and given that Fallout 76 was based on discarded multiplayer plans for Fallout 4; the developers might well have chosen the setting of Vault 76 well before the release of Fallout 4. Speaking in a documentary about the history of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, Todd Howard stated that “they started it [Fallout 76] before we shipped Fallout 4.”