Fallout 76 Announced, Rumored to be Online Survival RPG

Early yesterday morning, Bethesda Softworks surprised the gaming community by releasing a teaser trailer for the next entry in the Fallout franchise ahead of E3. The trailer, which you can view above, has revealed this new game will be called Fallout 76. While the teaser itself reveals very little information on the type of game we can expect, be it a more traditional experience or something else entirely, there are some details and rumors that we can explore at this time.

If Bethesda sticks with the established canon of the franchise, then we may have a clue as to the setting for the game based on some found information in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. Vault 76 was one of the few legitimate "control" vaults established by the Vault-Tec Corporation, meaning they were spared from the experiments that were the focus of most other bunkers. In fact, there are only 17 known control vaults out of the hundreds that were built.

Vault 76 was said to contain around 500 dwellers and was located in Virginia. Obviously, the background song from the trailer "Take Me Home, Country Roads" mentions West Virginia, so this setting may not be too far off from the truth. The other detail we know concerning Vault 76 is that it was set to open only 20 years after the Great War's nuclear apocalypse was unleashed. In comparison, Fallout 3 takes place 200 years after the Great War, so we may get to see a more savage and desolate wasteland much closer to the destruction on the United States.

One other thing worth addressing would be the rumors reported by Kotaku, who cite three anonymous sources claiming that Fallout 76 will be an online survival game inspired by the likes of Rust or DayZ.

As with any rumors, take these ones with a grain of salt. However, the idea of an online Fallout game is actually quite appealing, so here's to hoping there's some truth behind these claims. Some fans will remember we almost had the Fallout Online MMORPG from original series creators Interplay before reaching a settlement in a legal lawsuit for the franchise rights with Bethesda back in 2012, resulting in that game's cancellation. However, the desire for an online component to this popular franchise has never relented and considering the success of its sister series The Elder Scrolls Online, it seems like a natural progression. Some fans have even took to making mods in order to incorporate online multiplayer with their friends in the Fallout universe.

Are you excited to learn more about Fallout 76? Do you want it to be an online survival game as per the rumors or would you prefer another single-player experience? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more details, hopefully next month at E3.

About the Author

L.B. Lubomski

Lawrence "L.B." Lubomski is an avid horror movie fan, gamer, musician, historian, and aspiring author. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, L.B. was exposed to the works of local filmmaker and godfather of zombie cinema George A. Romero early on. He has since developed a particular fondness for Italian zombie/cannibal and slasher films. This passion for horror extends into other media, from survival horror video games such as Resident Evil to horror-inspired musical artists. In his spare time, L.B. pursues many interests including building his collection of vinyl records, action figures, and vintage video games as well as drumming in various local bands.

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