Fallout 76 is not going free to play, in case you were wondering
The rumor was silly, but Bethesda has made it official anyway: No.
It's fair to say that Fallout 76 did not get off to the smoothest start in the history of videogames. Even so, a recent rumor that it's about to go free to play, fueled by reports that physical copies of the game are in short supply in Australia (although the website indicates that there's still plenty of stock available, so make of it what you will) and wild speculation, seemed pretty clearly to be without basis. But it was persistent enough that Bethesda nipped over to Twitter to officially shoot it down.
There is no truth to this rumor.January 22, 2019
Bethesda hasn't commented further, and there's really not much more to say. It could happen someday, sure—multiple MMOs have made the switch over the years, some successfully and others not—but two months after release? Bethesda may have biffed the Fallout 76 launch pretty badly and in some mind-boggling ways, but it has to be aware that whatever goodwill remains between it and the fanbase would evaporate almost immediately if it transitioned from premium purchase to free-to-play that quickly.
PC Gamer Newsletter
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.
Amazon's Fallout TV director says he's not trying to please fans, legions get mad at him before realising he actually lost 'a year' of his life to Fallout 3 himself
One of the biggest Fallout modding projects in years is about to release, and if it goes wrong it could 'kill the Fallout modding scene'
Most Popular
By Nick Evanson
By Nick Evanson
By Rich Stanton
By Robert Jones
By Elie Gould
By Nick Evanson
By Rich Stanton