🔗 Share this article

This marks the 64th substantial update following its launch, Fallout 76 is set to introduce its biggest addition yet during the holiday season. Named the new expansion, this comprehensive update will add additional firepower, expanded storylines, and transport players to the newly accessible region of Ohio.

An Impressive Transformation

Previously, the notion of Fallout 76 receiving such a major update multiple years after launch would have been considered impossible. At the time the online experience first launched in 2018, it was met with skepticism from both critics and players who found the initial version unpolished and half-baked. Some thought it would follow the path as other live-service attempts of that time.

We've just consistently trusted in this experience, commented the creative director. The initial release was similar to the first chapter of our narrative. Players arrive and they don't see much content, and they learn about their environment. Our approach was simply remaining dedicated and persistently produce the experiences that we believe our community will enjoy, and that we as players ourselves.

Discovering New Territory

This expansion represents the most substantial expansion to date. The most significant aspect is the geographical extension, allowing players to venture outside into Ohio and investigate what developments have occurred there. Spoiler alert: Trouble awaits!

For the development team that exploring a new state after extended time in West Virginia presented an ideal situation to experiment with an untouched location within the game world.

We hadn't really explored Ohio in the Fallout lore too much, commented the development lead. Starting from the current map, if you move east, you eventually reach the Washington DC area. That area is thoroughly developed. Ohio was explored too much. Therefore, Fallout 76 being set earliest in the series history gives us various development possibilities. We decided to explore what's happening in Ohio!

Drawing Inspiration from Previous Games

The most stands out about Fallout 76's version of Ohio is that it's presented as a dry environment. This may look unusual given the typical climate of the region, but there's a intentional rationale for this design decision: The appearance was significantly drawn by the Capital Wasteland and the Mojave Desert.

Instead of simply copying features from those games, the designers focused on capturing the fundamental tone of those experiences within the new expansion.

It wasn't so much about studying those games and declaring we need particular aspects, stated the creative director. Our goal sought to create was taking the distinct tone of those Fallout games and having that properly represented in the new content. What I communicated to the developers when we started development on the fresh territory was: It must include desert environments, dangerous monsters, and plenty of enemies. From my perspective, that represents what the third installment and New Vegas represent. Those are the fundamental aspects that create the unique atmosphere of those titles, and so I aimed to have that recreated here.

Television Series Incorporation

The success of the Amazon streaming show produced a significant surge in player numbers for Fallout 76, with statistics indicating a multiple times engagement boost. The studio realized they needed to utilize this opportunity, but didn't have the adequate schedule to create a comprehensive connection immediately.

The approach came through logical evolution when the developers identified the perfect connection with the noseless antihero, who serves as a bounty hunting character within the recent update.

We were determining what this fresh territory would contain, what the general atmosphere would be, and then what the primary feature of the fresh territory would develop into, that's hunter quests, explained the development lead. So who more appropriate to represent bounty hunting than this character? Since he is a knowledgeable admirer of the games too, he was extremely enthusiastic to collaborate with us and make this happen. So it didn't start as initially, but it developed through natural progression of the feature.

Additional Content

Burning Springs doesn't represent the final major update for the multiplayer experience. The creators is currently developing on the first substantial future expansion and preparing further updates extending as far as the 72nd update.

At one point a time where we didn't believe there would actually happen an that many content additions, remarked the production director. Currently we are at a stage where things are so positive, for both the television series and the online experience. It's actually quite remarkable to think that there's an update 76 that might eventually coincide with, you know, whatever comes next!

The continued engagement of this online experience stands as a evidence of the creators' dedication and consistent vision to developing upon their founding vision while naturally including new elements that improve rather than compromise the familiar environment.