Bethesda titles like Skyrim and Fallout 4 have achieved tremendous success, and a major factor in their longevity are their massive modding communities. Bethesda games have long been favourites of modders. Even older titles, like Fallout: New Vegas and Morrowind, are still supported by the modding community. This is certainly something which Bethesda is aware of; as such, they have spoken about Fallout 76 mod support on a few occasions. Now, Pete Hines has said that while mod support and private servers will come to the game, they will not be coming in 2018. In fact, it may take over a year past launch for those features to arrive.
When Fans Can Expect Fallout 76 Mod Support and Private Servers
Following a major press event which took place recently for Fallout 76, Pete Hines spoke with GameSpot about Fallout 76 mod support. Given how many Bethesda fans are either mod creators or users, the studio has been seeking to ameliorate their concerns that modding would be restricted for a multiplayer title like Fallout 76. As Pete Hines reiterates, modding is certainly a priority for Bethesda. However, to prevent mods from intruding into the servers of other players, mod support will only be available in private servers; “Mod support is going to be tied to work that we’re also doing on private servers,” says Hines; “and letting people do private servers. Mods will be a thing that run on private servers.”
“I don’t foresee a universe in which we allow players to come in [to Fallout 76’s public servers] with their own unique and different mods. If you want to run mods, they’ll have to be done on a private server. You’ll be deciding what sort of mods you’re including and running, and everyone playing on that server is playing with those mods.”
This sounds like a good solution to the compatibility issues of modding and multiplayer. However, these are not systems which will feature at launch. According to Hines, adding private servers and mod support is “going to be a lot of work”. In fact, he warns that mod support may not arrive until November of 2019; a full year after the launch of the game. This delay may frustrate some modders. However, it’s fair to note that mods have generally been something which keep Bethesda games active long after launch. As such, it’s understandable why Bethesda may be prioritising other parts of the game initially. No doubt fans will see Fallout 76 mod support eventually.