Fallout 76 Now Has A Premium Subscription With “Fallout 1st”… But Why?
You guys ever watch Animaniacs? How about Tiny Toon Adventures?
In both cartoons, there was a segment entitled “Good Idea, Bad Idea”. In that segment, a character called Mr. Skullhead would be put into ridiculous, comedic situations by acting out the right (and comically wrong) way to do things. For example,
Good Idea: Taking a deep breath before jumping into a swimming pool.
Bad Idea: Taking a deep breath after jumping into a swimming pool.
We’re going to do a little rendition of “Good Idea, Bad Idea” right now.
Good Idea:
A ton of new features are coming to Fallout 76 very soon, including the option for a “Private World” server for you and up to 7 friends, unlimited Scrapbox storage, custom player-placable fast travel points for easier mobility, and a ton of new outfits and emotes. This will surely make players who have had nothing but trouble with managing their resources overjoyed, and will definitely thrill folks who prefer to just play with their friends.
Bad Idea:
Lock all of these goodies behind a brand-new premium subscription plan, which clocks in at $12.99 for a month-to-month membership, or $99.99 for a 12-month membership.
I know what you’re thinking: “this would genuinely be a bad idea, and I’m so glad nobody would ever think to to that”. Well folks… This idea is real, and it’s called Fallout 1st.
As much as I love and adore the Fallout franchise, Fallout 76 has undoubtedly had the most troubled launch in the history of the series, and maybe in the history of the shared-world shooter genre. While a few of the controversies and gripes surrounding Fallout 76 have surely been overblown, nobody can say that it’s been a cakewalk for Bethesda to keep fans invested in their multiplayer wasteland experiment. All of this begs the question… Why this, and why now?
Fallout 1st includes some very enticing benefits, and is extremely reminiscent of Bethesda’s ESO Plus plan for The Elder Scrolls Online. ESO is one of my favorite MMORPGs of all time, and one of the most thrilling and expansive games Bethesda’s ever done. Fallout 76 ain’t that, though, and even if Fallout 1st was in Bethesda’s plans all along for Fallout 76, you’d think it might be something worth reassessing given the game’s bumpy first year.
With games like The Outer Worlds set to drop in just a few days, Fallout 1st strikes me as a strange, tone-deaf strategy on Bethesda’s part to retain players. As an existing Fallout 76 owner, paying additional monthly money for features that should’ve arguably already been in the core game doesn’t interest me at all.
Fallout 1st’s month-to-month subscription is $12.99 per month… $3 more than Xbox Game Pass ($9.99 per month – and that includes Fallout New Vegas and The Outer Worlds). While Fallout 76’s most hardcore and loyal community members will likely find a lot to love with Fallout 1st, I just can’t see this service successfully reeling in new players, or enticing more casual ones to invest further.
