🔗 Share this article

For the 64th major content addition following its debut, Fallout 76 is gearing up to introduce its biggest expansion yet during the holiday season. Named the new expansion, this substantial update will introduce fresh armaments, new missions, and guide players to the newly accessible region of Ohio.

A Remarkable Journey

Previously, the idea of Fallout 76 obtaining such a major update seven years after release would have seemed unimaginable. At the time the multiplayer game first launched in 2018, it faced criticism from reviewers and the community who found the early build problematic and conceptually incomplete. Some thought it would follow the path as other live-service attempts of that time.

We have continuously had faith in this project, explained the creative director. The debut was similar to the first chapter of our narrative. Users come out and they initially find anybody there, and they explore their environment. The team's strategy was primarily remaining dedicated and continuing to create the experiences that we know our fans will love, and that we as players ourselves.

Venturing Into Fresh Ground

This expansion represents the most substantial expansion to date. The key element is the territory addition, allowing players to cross the border into the Ohio region and explore what developments have occurred there. Spoiler alert: Nothing good!

According to the creators that entering a different region after considerable duration in Appalachia presented an perfect chance to develop an new setting within the Fallout universe.

We hadn't really explored Ohio in the Fallout lore too much, stated the creative director. Starting from the current map, if you travel east, you eventually reach the Capital Wasteland. We've explored thoroughly developed. The Ohio territory hasn't really been explored too much. So, Fallout 76 being set earliest in the series history offers us various storytelling options. Let's see what's happening in this new region!

Taking Cues from Fan Favorites

What immediately catches attention about Fallout 76's version of Ohio is that it's developed as a dry environment. This might seem surprising given the real-world location of the region, but there's a strategic reason for this design decision: The appearance was heavily inspired by Fallout 3 and the Mojave Desert.

Instead of directly replicating aspects from classic installments, the development team concentrated on embodying the fundamental tone of those experiences within Burning Springs.

It wasn't centered around examining those titles and saying we need particular aspects, clarified the creative director. What we wanted to achieve was embracing the distinct tone of those Fallout games and having that faithfully captured in Burning Springs. What I instructed the developers when we started development on the additional area was: It must include arid landscapes, dangerous monsters, and numerous raiders. In my view, that represents what the third installment and New Vegas represent. Those are the fundamental aspects that create the characteristic feel of those titles, and so I wanted that mirrored here.

Streaming Adaptation Integration

The success of the Amazon streaming show generated a substantial rise in player numbers for Fallout 76, with statistics indicating a six or seven player growth. The development team recognized they needed to capitalize on this opportunity, but were without the necessary time to create a full crossover immediately.

The approach came through organic development when the creators found the natural intersection with the noseless antihero, who becomes a quest giving character within the new expansion.

During development we figuring out what this new region would feature, what the overall tone would be, and then what the primary feature of the expansion area would become, that's hunter quests, commented the creative director. So who better to host these missions than The Ghoul? Since he is a knowledgeable admirer of the games too, he was quite willing to partner with us and complete this project. So it wasn't originally from the beginning, but it emerged through natural progression of the gameplay.

Future Plans

The new content doesn't represent the last expansion for the online game. The development team is currently developing on the premier future expansion and planning more expansions reaching as far as the 72nd update.

At one point a moment where we didn't believe there would actually happen an that many content additions, remarked the production director. Now we're at a point where things are so successful, for both the show and the game. It's truly quite remarkable to think that there's an seventy-sixth expansion that might eventually align with, potentially, whatever comes next!

Ongoing success of this online experience serves as a testament to the development team's persistence and steady approach to expanding upon their initial idea while seamlessly incorporating additional features that improve rather than disrupt the familiar environment.