Fallout: 76 has stunned the gaming community once again, as the title – which had already gone on discount for Black Friday sales – goes on a further discount only a day later, on Amazon. The move is unprecedented, considering Fallout: 76 only launched about a week ago.
Before it’s launch last week, the regular edition of Fallout: 76 could be pre-ordered for around $59.99USD, and yesterday, that price was knocked down to $40USD – a move many did not expect of the newly released AAA title. At time of writing, it can now be bought for a mere $35USD at various retailers.
This move, whilst certainly unexpected, is perhaps understandable given context – the game has received an avalanche of bad press, lambasting design decisions like having no NPCs or end-goal for the title, through to commentary on the large array of bugs and exploits pockmarking the title, and more serious concerns like a lack of basic security encryption. That being said, though, loyal fans who pre-ordered the title are far from pleased about the move.
@bethesda It's a bit of a slap in the face that I paid full price to preorder Fallout 76 and 2 weeks later it's 35 dollars. Not saying I don't really enjoy the game, but kinda sh*ty.
— Joe Garcia (@Drizzt26) November 25, 2018
Id genuinely be fuming had I not cancelled my #Fallout76 preorder @ £60 and then 9 days later it drops to £30 in some places and even its even dropped 41% on the PS Store! Way to go @BethesdaStudios on an utter piece of AAA garbage! Congrats on ripping off a lot of die hard fans!
— Nick Spencer (@nickmicrotiger) November 24, 2018
Trying to get a full refund for my Fallout 76 preorder (big mistake). @BethesdaSupport replied saying I am ineligible for a refund because I downloaded the game.
The Bethesda Launcher has auto download enabled by default.
I've never even launched the game.
Trust broken.
— S1XSHOTS (@S1XSHOTS) November 24, 2018
Considering the previous discount of $40USD was matched by Bethesda’s own storefront, it is hard not to think that the company is simply sending the tile out to die at this point – and with rumours that Fallout: 76 had no sales figures to meet and that ‘getting it out the door’ was the company’s priority, that seems a real possibility. All we can do is hope Bethesda follows through on its promise to fix the game up, and take this as a lesson on the dangers of pre-order culture.