Fallout:76 - will it go F2P, as originally planned

[zanity]

Fallout:76 was originally begun as another F2P (free to play) project at Bethesda. The team tasked to build the game was Beth's F2P team (a team so hopeless it was almost canned a little while back).

 

But Todd changed the direction. Something happened to Starfleld- and I think that something was Todd's desire to add YEARS to the dev time of Starfield with TWO excuses to the Zenimax big bosses.

 

One: Starfield 'needs' the next-gen console hardware from Sony and MS. The next-gen happens as soon as the 7nm shrink at TSMC is good to go, and AMD can deliver the Ryzen + next-gen GPU uplift. Essentially any time from the beginning of 2019 and on (MS and Sony are in a desperate footrace to be the first to deliver- and the new consoles will be here the moment the chips can be built, and despite the PR lies meant to placate current console sales, that moment is fast approaching).

 

Two: Starfield needs to be re-engineered to DEPRECIATE the single-player experience, and build in as many online multi-player addiction gaming mechanisms as possible.

 

This meant a giant hole in Beth's release schedule. Todd had to fill that hole. So Fallout:76 at a AAA release price was conceived, with Todd throwing the full resources of THREE Beth dev facilities at a project originally meant for the F2P team.

 

But despite the laughable Todd con-job, Fallout:76 remains a painfully obvious example of the F2P gaming model. Now smaller, desperate devs are certainly releasing their 'EARLY ACCESS', genre similar, titles at near full price, but they feel they have no choice, being so hard up for cash. And their total audience tops out at a very modest level- their titles being seen as 'niche' and specialist.

 

But Beth ain't in that game. If its titles don't go massive, they ain't worth doing in the first place. And their main titles (the elder scrolls universe, including Fallout and Starfield) have to do mega business.

 

Cash strapped Epic (no longer) had 'people can fly' (the insanely good Painkiller) code Fortnite, but then were forced to release Fortnite at FULL PRICE, 'promising' it would be F2P 'eventually'. The game was a MEGA-FLOP. Then in a last desperate move, Epic coded a Battle Royale mode for Fortnite, and released that mode FOR FREE. Now Epic makes BILLIONS (yes really) a year from that one title.

 

If your F2P game is not released FOR FREE, max interest is limited, and then will only reach that level if you get 'cult' players (like the 'Rust's). And by the way, the 'Rust's gained a big cult gay community cos your characters could run around naked.

 

The promotional material for Fallout:76 proves Todd is 100% clueless, months before the game releases. Todd sez "Drama" from "griefing" is essential. The F2P team sez "12 vs 12 deathmatch" is their best idea for how gamers could have 'fun' in this game. I say, given the current state of the game, a PUBG mode would be ideal. But above all, this game needs to be true to its origin, and that origin is F2P.

 

Now fools outside the industry dribble on about budgets. Sorry, when a big publisher does F2P, the dev costs can be extraordinary- but that is NOT an argument for a late change from the F2P model to a AAA cost model. That is not how things work. Todd is doing this cos he screwed up, took Starfield off the table for years, yet has to give Zenimax a 'BIG' 'safe' release this year.

 

Without Zenimax breathing down his neck, I'd think even Todd, with his very limited ability, would get why F2P, with the CC providing the PAID 'cosmetics' would be the correct way to go. There is a LOT of room for improvements in the VANITY cosmetic biz- the BLING with which an 'ambitious' gamer makes a 'statement' in a game.

 

With the CC having a 100% monopoly on the bling in Fallout:76, I have no doubt a F2P Fallout:76 with a series of competitive battlemodes could make a fortune. One fly in the ointment is the PRIMITIVE nature of the new engine- a land first engine optimised for large rolling landscapes- but one that cannot even do decent small Fallout 4 style towns, let alone fort building.

 

However, the PUBG (and yes, I know this game ain't F2P) model would be a simple refit for the engine (although Todd would need to give in and allow vehicles in a non-Rage game).

 

Anyway back to the original question. Will the game originally designed to be F2P (the game now known as Fallout:76) end up as F2P somewhere down the road? What about the suckers who pid 'full price' I hear you say. Well they'd get their purchase price as 'credit' at the CC store. SOP.

[Rational314]

You really don't need another conspiracy theory thread. This is locked.