Todd Howard from Bethesda recently talked to IGN about Fallout 76, its lukewarm reception, and the problems the game has.

“That was a very difficult development on that game to get it where it was,” Howard told IGN. “We were ready for…a lot of those difficulties that ended up on the screen. We knew, hey look, this is not the type of game that people are used to from us and we’re going to get some criticism on it. A lot of that is very well-deserved criticism.”

So instead of doing the right thing and delaying the game, and being honest with their fans about it, they decided to say nothing and ship the game anyway.

And what? Hope their mod community would bail them out and fix it for them the way they do the rest of their buggy games?

This is exactly why I don’t play Bethesda’s games. They consistently ship their content riddled with bugs, and get a pass from their fan base, and the press, time after time.

Fallout 76
Fallout 76

‘Oh, but their worlds are so big and expansive, it’s understandable there will be bugs.’

That excuse doesn’t work anymore. Especially not after Nintendo released Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a colossal game with a massive world that is essentially bug-free. If Nintendo ever put out a Zelda title with as many bugs as an Elder Scrolls or Fallout game has every time a new installment is released, Zelda fans would riot in the streets, and the video game press would crucify them for it. When you compare this to what Nintendo did with Metroid Prime 4, it’s a glaring contrast.

For some reason, Bethesda gets a pass. Every time. Until now. They got caught with Fallout 76, but only because the promises Todd Howard made didn’t come remotely close to the actual product. However, when The Elder Scrolls VI comes out, all will be forgotten, and fans will line up to buy Bethesda’s next buggy mess.

No thanks.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/02/bethesda-knew-fallout-76-would-have-bumps-a-ign-unfiltered