Bethesda warned fans that Fallout 76 may not satisfy them when the game finally left beta, and that warning was perhaps more prophetic than the game maker had hoped. Fallout 76 hasn’t received very good reviews, and many of them are all saying the same thing: the game feels empty and is plagued with connection issues and bugs.
Other issues have cropped up as well, including something as silly as a canvas bag production issue. But that incident was emblematic of a fan base wholly disappointed by a title that promised big things that have proven much more difficult to deliver than many anticipated.
Bethesda does seem to want to make good on that promise, or at least make its fans feel valued. Which is why the company announced shortly before Christmas that it’s giving away some free games to anyone who bought Fallout 76 in 2018. The company is giving away Fallout Classic Collection — which includes the first two Fallout titles as well as Fallout Tactics, for free.
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The message is pretty clear: as long as you logged into the full version of Fallout 76 — not the beta — sometime in 2018 you’ll be getting the Fallout Classic Collection as a bonus for likely enduring logouts and a mostly-empty West Virginia in a game that’s very much in the middle of figuring out what it will offer players.
It may not assuage many complaints about paying $60 (or more) for a game that hasn’t delivered on the open-world glory of past titles, and hardcore Fallout fans might already have copies of these titles through other means. But it is a good start, and a sign that Bethesda is continuing to try to make things right. Perhaps 2019, when the free games are expected to go out, will be better for Bethesda and Fallout fans.