Bethesda cops huge backlash following Fallout 76 launch

The online multiplayer spin on Fallout has not been well received.

Fallout 76 has triggered a number of outcries and controversies since it launched in November, ranging from the perceived poor quality of the game through to some other more serious debarcles. While the game’s low Metacritic score can mostly be blamed on its launch woes, Bethesda has copped it severely for what has been dubbed in some circles “bag-gate”. In an expensive collector’s edition of the game a canvas bag was advertised, however upon launch this bag proved to be made of nylon. Riding the momentum of the game’s critical backlash, consumers and fans picketed Bethesda so hard that the company were forced to manufacture a new set of bags as a replacement.

But that’s not where the pain ended for Bethesda: those seeking a replacement for their inferior nylon bag were required to file a support ticket on Bethesda’s website. It later emerged that many of these support tickets were viewable by other users of the service, resulting in a serious privacy breach. Although fewer than “123” users were affected, it compounded the grief surrounding what was the most controversial game launch in 2018.