Fallout 76 has a very curious history in the gaming space. It was made during the “peak” of the franchise game-wise, and it soon got very anticipated. However, the moment it launched, people realized that it wasn’t what was promised and that it was quite an empty wasteland compared to the many other titles that Bethesda had made. To be fair, over the years, the company has tried to build up the game, including bringing in some content expansions, but with the “Skyline Valley” expansion, the game’s map is being opened up in a huge way, including giving players access to a key real-world area, and another vault!
In a chat with ComicBook.com, creative director Johnathan Rush revealed how the team went about going into this new area and making it both special and dark:
“We had Vault 63 closed up for a while, right? It was really mysterious towards the south of our map, so we thought it was time to open that back up. Looking at the real world map and seeing what lines up with that area…Shenandoah! So alright, let’s bring Shenandoah into it – what are the unique qualities that we can express through our Shenandoah that makes it stand apart as its own region on our map? If I look at our map, it’s kind of like a big theme park. Each organic region has its own distinct feel, its own unique flora and fauna, and things that players find. So how do we shape Shenandoah into something unique that feels dark and mysterious – kind of like all the uncertainty surrounding Vault 63 over the years.”
Another “uncertainty” for the team at the start of the “Skyline Valley” expansion was how to make Shenandoah Park look visually. They wanted to make it feel like something that was truly post-apocalyptic, and that led to them making the eternal storm in the skies above. Also, you might get struck by lightning within the game, so be mindful of the skies above, okay?
Rush also noted that Fallout 76 has a great community, with people constantly giving feedback on how to improve the game, which the creative director appreciates. That’s why he wanted his team to give their all for the expansion so that they wouldn’t meet some of the criticisms that came before.
Obviously, we’ll have to wait until the expansion arrives for people to truly see whether it elevates the game’s quality. But, if nothing else, there’s hope!
