Fallout fans have been seeing a massive resurgence for the franchise. Thanks to the mega-hit Amazon Prime Video series that adapted the franchise, plenty of players are just dabbling into the games for the first time ever. One game that might have piqued a little more interest from players might be Fallout 76. After all, this is an MMO game that allows players to chip away at this wasteland together.
However, if you recall, Fallout 76 was anything but a successful hit when it first launched out of the gate. The project launched to fans finding themselves bored in this barren wasteland. As a result, morale was at an all-time low with the team. Speaking with PC Gamer, the project lead for Fallout 76, Jeff Gardiner, reflected back to his time working on the game, its messy launch, and the push to turn things around.
Jeff noted that players didn’t like this game, and he couldn’t escape it. At one point, he even got yelled at in an Apple store. However, he wasn’t done with the game; as a live-service title, you couldn’t just drop the project and move on to the next game. Instead, he had to bring this game around and it also meant bringing the team around to loving their time with this project.
Listening to them and allowing them to just go do it. I thought that was really important, because that’s what you finally saw in Wastelanders and beyond. – Jeff Gardiner
Of course, as Jeff states, a big benefit was that this was a live-service game. That allowed developers to actively listen to the community, make adjustments, and deliver a game that fans enjoyed. Since then, you’ve seen this game turn itself around. It went from a barren wasteland to now having a slew of NPCs available, quests to take on, and storylines to follow.
It’s a very unique game. It still is. People always ask, ‘What’s your favorite game you’ve worked on?’ Because 76 was such a difficult game and then it turned around to a successful game, it’s actually probably my favourite. – Jeff Gardiner
Since Jeff left the team, looking back at all the projects he’s been a part of, he loves Fallout 76 the most. It was a game that started out on a sour note but has since become a favorite among fans. So, if you haven’t tried this game, especially if you haven’t played it since the initial launch, you might want to give it another go. While the premise remains the same, players are Vault dwellers whose goal is to establish the world; you’ll find the wasteland is filled with characters in need of a hand.
