SPLITTING THE ATOMS
This being a major game release in 2018, naturally there’s a tale of microtransaction controversy to tell. Its guise in Fallout 76 is Atoms, a currency earned by completing quests and in-game achievements and also by spending real-world money. There’s nothing freshly scandalous about that model, except that the Atom price for modest items such as laminate flooring or player outfits is surprisingly high. For the former, a payment of £3.99 ($4.99) in order to purchase 500 Atoms is required (400 of which are then spent on flooring), while an 800Atom player costume required a £7.99 ($9.99) transaction to buy 1100 coins. There’s more than a whiff of cynicism to the item Atom prices and the increments by which Atom packs increase, and the community has already noted this, and reacted in kind.