It’s unfortunate, but it’s fair to say that Fallout 76 is a game that has arrived into our lives with no small amount of controversy, and that controversy has managed to extend beyond the actual game itself.
If you’re not aware of the Fallout 76 Collector’s Edition kerfuffle (as I’ve taken to calling it), here’s a little refresher: Bethesda advertised a durable, military grade canvas bag as part of the $200 set, and gamers were instead sent much cheaper looking bags made from Nylon. Ouch.
This is what was promised:
And below is what people were sent:
Yo @BethesdaStudios @bethesda @BethesdaSupport this isn’t a West Tek canvas bag. This a ghetto ass nylon trash bag @Fallout tf guys pic.twitter.com/mhzvcHqoCX
— Serianni (@serianni13) November 16, 2018
Fans were, understandably, pretty cheesed off. While you can certainly argue that Bethesda were always upfront regarding what Fallout 76 itself would be, advertising a bag made out of canvas and delivering one made from Nylon is straight up false advertising.
Bethesda’s initial response was unfortunately pretty tone deaf. Instead of promising to address what was a pretty serious problem, they simply apologised, cited a “lack of materials” for the switch to nylon, and offered any customers affected 500 atoms – the in-game currency of Fallout 76.
As it turns out, 500 atoms doesn’t actually get you very much at all in Fallout 76, so that didn’t do much to win customers over.
We understand and respect that there is disappointment with the bag in the Power Armor Edition. We are sorry. Please contact Bethesda Support to provide proof of your CE purchase. They will assist in granting your account 500 Atoms.
Please visit: https://t.co/TJBMjYaph0
— Fallout (@Fallout) November 29, 2018
Now, in an attempt to right this sizeable wrong, Bethesda has decide send customers the proper canvas bag, as was originally advertised. This obviously raises questions about the previously mentioned “lack of materials:, however.
Did Bethesda just find some old canvas lying around? Did they perhaps think they could manufacture the bags more cheaply and people would either not mind or not notice?
Whatever the case, any customer affected can reach out to Bethesda before January 31 and they’ll sort you out a replacement bag as soon as they’re ready.
We are finalizing manufacturing plans for replacement canvas bags for the Fallout 76: Power Armor Edition. If you purchased the CE, please visit https://t.co/S5ClEZuQrx and submit a ticket by Jan. 31, 2019. We’ll arrange to send you a replacement as soon as the bags are ready.
— Bethesda Support (@BethesdaSupport) December 3, 2018
It takes a lot to admit when you’re wrong. Especially when doing so involves manufacturing and shipping thousands of canvas bags to various people around the world.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.