Summary

• Fallout 76 has come a long way since its controversy-laden launch in 2018.
• The game's 17th season is proof that it has longevity, and despite initial perceptions, has really turned things around.
• Fallout 76's revamp with updates, NPCs, and new content has attracted a new audience, partly thanks to the popularity of the Fallout TV series.

Fallout 76 is launching season 17 and proving that, somehow, it's got a lot left to give players despite its historical hiccups. The franchise is finally receiving the love it was destined to, with the Fallout series on Amazon Prime turning fans onto the games that proved Bethesda's RPG talents even beyond the Elder Scrolls franchise. Fallout always deserved to come out on top, and now it officially has.

Perhaps better planning could have been executed on Bethesda's part, though. People are heavily divided about the series at the best of times, with many regarding the first two top-down titles as the "real" games in the series, engaging in social media firefights with fans of both Fallout 3 and New Vegas, that together pushed the franchise to immeasurable heights. Even so, there is a new collection of people ing the fray – those who loved the recent Amazon Prime Fallout series and its reflection of a grim and sometimes cartoonish apocalypse, looking to find insight into the carnage of desolate America.

Fallout 76 Has Become The Landing Pad For TV Fans

Many New Fans Don't Know The Horrors That Fallout 76 Endured

The release of Fallout 76 was, as attested by leagues of Fallout fans, a true horror show. The game debuted with bugs in unfathomable quantities, a pre-order drama featuring promotional canvas bags that were replaced with cheap nylon counterparts, and a gameplay style that, to many, flew in the face of the Fallout ethos. Storytelling was sacrificed in the live-service interpretation of the world, and worst of all, the gameplay was largely panned. Fallout fans were disappointed, and Bethesda was shamed.

Bethesda eventually rectified the issue with the nylon bags given to purchasers of Fallout 76's Power Armor Edition. Roughly seven months after launch, canvas bags as d were shipped to replace the nylon ones which sparked the controversy.

However, Fallout 76 has since been on a mission to leave its launch behind. Consistent updates have offered the remaining players more and more content to play around with in hopes that Appalachia will turn from wasteland to toybox, and though it hasn't won the hearts of everyone, it seems to be doing its best. And now, thanks to the popularity of the Fallout show, it has found itself a new audience. From its disastrous beginnings to the triumph it's now become in Season 17, it's clear that Fallout 76 has completely turned itself around.

It has still suffered frustration from the most dedicated RPG purists, but after adding NPCs to interact with in the Wastelanders update, introducing more armor and weapons to bolster the game's RPG mechanics and patching up its nuke system, Fallout 76 has earned its home. Bethesda has been working tirelessly to reinvent Fallout 76, and it has ed the upper echelon of the company's excitement hierarchy. But its differences still set it apart - and now that the Fallout TV series has brought new interest to the franchise, it has found itself the unexpected star of the show.

Fallout 76 Has Become The Series' Leading Title

The Once-Panned Game Is Now The Easiest Point Of Entry

As players step into the Fallout video games, it's easy to see why many are opting for the first thing available to them – the easy-to-access, new-gen optimized Fallout 76. The game has, perhaps by being first in line when "Fallout" is searched on Steam, become the most immediately accessible in the series. Many players may not know that Fallout 76 is a step away from the single-player, narrative-led open-world adventure that birthed it, and that they're playing a very different kind of game, even in spite of some great improvements made over the years.

Season 17 is proof of the longevity of the game and its real redemption arc in the eyes of the fans.

That's not to say that Fallout 76 hasn't managed to work with what it has – the Season 17 is introducing a new Boy Scouts theme that comes with a collection of camping-themed cosmetics which remains dedicated to the tongue-in-cheek nature of Fallout. Season 17 is proof of the longevity of the game and its real redemption in the eyes of the fans, which is especially impressive considering how many expected the game to quickly die following its release.

Fallout 76 has taken a dip since it peaked two months ago after the release of the Fallout series (according to Horizon's uncast Netflix debut create the same buzz, players will still default to games that reflect their series' ethos.

Both player and critical perception of Fallout 76 has turned upward, as evidenced by the game's Mostly Positive rating on Steam and IGN's 2024 re-review of the game increasing its score from 5/10 to 7/10.

There's No Community Like The Fallout 76 Community

Fans Rally Round

Fallout 76 is trying its very best, and though it has failed in the past, it has at least one audience. There are dedicated Fallout 76 players, but the game is also populated by the confused, wondering where next to turn, and it's likely their Fallout journey won't end with the game. Season 17 has successfully proven that by being an easy entry point, Fallout 76 has found a way to succeed.

It's going to be fascinating for many to see what Fallout 76 does next, especially as this final squeeze of popularity comes many years into its lifespan. Season 17 is a bonus for players, but how much it can actually achieve is down to its small, dedicated playerbase and any new fans it can keep interested. Fallout 76 has persisted despite its backlash, and frankly, it's earned a pat on the back for that alone.

Sources: SteamDB, Steam, IGN