Monday, December 17th 2018
Fallout 76: Atom Shop Prices Reach New Level of Absurdity
It seems many companies just never learn, you would think with Bethesda's various controversies surrounding Fallout 76 that they would have taken a step back and reevaluated their position. You would also think that their first decision would not have been to add more horrendously overpriced downloadable content to their Atom shop. However, instead of making an educated decision Bethesda continues to march straight for the cliff like a group of lemmings.
What did they do this time you ask? Well, they decided to offer more absurdly priced bits of cosmetic gear. First up was their Holiday Emote bundle for 1200 Atoms which is 50% off the regular 2400 Atoms. Next is the Mr. and Mrs. Claus outfits listed for 2000 Atoms, down from 3000. Finally theres the Red Rocket Mega Sign for 1400 Atoms. All told buying those three featured items from the Atom Shop would run you about 4600 Atoms or $40 which is coincidently the highest price the game sells for currently. It would appear Bethesda really wants to earn back their development costs on this one.
That said, yes Bethesda's Atom credits can be farmed via in-game challenges. However, the rewards are incredibly small and limited in number. They work as a way to soften the blow in regards to cost, or you might be able to afford a few emotes but the fact remains the prices are absurdly high for even simple things. Now, of course, these items are not mandatory and have no bearing on gameplay, however, considering the canvas bag fiasco where they initially opted to give people $5 in Atom credits, it makes that gesture seem even more like a slap in the face. At least they decided to come good and offer the canvas bag after the community backlash surrounding their decision.
In general, Bethesda can't seem to avoid the frag mines littering the wasteland of what remains in regards to Fallout 76. I can honestly say DLC like this has no effect on me but Bethesda still, after all this has a fan base loyal enough to waste money on micro-transactions like these because if they didn't, they would not exist. That said, you can't please everyone it is statistically impossible, however, seeing Bethesda burn through just about all the goodwill they've accumulated over the years on this one title has me hunkering down by the fire this holiday season to roast some marshmallows before the Atom bombs drop.
Source:
Reddit
What did they do this time you ask? Well, they decided to offer more absurdly priced bits of cosmetic gear. First up was their Holiday Emote bundle for 1200 Atoms which is 50% off the regular 2400 Atoms. Next is the Mr. and Mrs. Claus outfits listed for 2000 Atoms, down from 3000. Finally theres the Red Rocket Mega Sign for 1400 Atoms. All told buying those three featured items from the Atom Shop would run you about 4600 Atoms or $40 which is coincidently the highest price the game sells for currently. It would appear Bethesda really wants to earn back their development costs on this one.
In general, Bethesda can't seem to avoid the frag mines littering the wasteland of what remains in regards to Fallout 76. I can honestly say DLC like this has no effect on me but Bethesda still, after all this has a fan base loyal enough to waste money on micro-transactions like these because if they didn't, they would not exist. That said, you can't please everyone it is statistically impossible, however, seeing Bethesda burn through just about all the goodwill they've accumulated over the years on this one title has me hunkering down by the fire this holiday season to roast some marshmallows before the Atom bombs drop.
38 Comments on Fallout 76: Atom Shop Prices Reach New Level of Absurdity
We all knew there were problems then but nothing they did was irredeemable, for most people, anyway. It never really got worse, you know? People would say complacency was the problem. Good things stayed the same, while many bad things never really improved from title to title. They found their way into something good a long time ago and settled in. Now it's like they try to operate outside of that sanctuary and reality smacks them in the face. They've gotten away with it because they mostly stuck to things they knew people liked. They presented players with something they believed in and hoped to see taken further. They came up with a form of emergent gameplay that is uniquely theirs. They may have lacked the polish of a true AAA release, but they still had substance. There was something there. They made these games for people to build up an incredible community around and do something different. To be able to cultivate something like that is quite an achievement. And it's been largely self-sustaining. Basically don't change too much and the community will back you and help make the games worthwhile for everyone. That is like, a devs dream come true. It's a tremendous gift to have that at your back. No amount of hard work can earn that. Things just don't work that way.
Personally I've always had concerns with how they've operated... ...you just kind of know there is no way it is sustainable. If you ask me they've been squandering their goodwill for too long at this point. Just coasting along. I always kind of anticipated that their reputation would just gradually erode until nobody cared anymore. That's kind of how things were going. You can't just subtly bullshit people forever and expect everyone to like you. Eventually you hit a point where there's no substance left.
But still. I didn't count on them setting off a cataclysm of mistakes that would turn so many in the communities that support them against them. It's just... it's a really hard thing to do. Bethesda fans are generally forgiving. Honestly I'd have been a lot less surprised if they didn't change at all and that was the only problem. This whole 76 thing is right out of left field. Gotta say, their leadership is time and time again demonstrating a perspective so far removed from that of those who support all that they've built it's astonishing. It's like... ...are these even the same people who brought us all of the TES classics making the decisions anymore? It's hard to imagine it's the same people behind these recent decisions. Bethesda will be Bethesda. But things are very distinctly different now.
To me it all screams of bad leadership. Things like these don't happen otherwise. It's like they don't even know what they have. I wonder what's been going on behind the scenes. Something must've happened, I'm guessing around the time when FO4 was already mostly in the works. They're so quiet and slow most of the time, things could've changed a few years ago and nobody would know. Sometimes I wonder if these games really take the time they say it takes to make them. If it does, they have horrendous time and resource management. Didn't they say they started on this not long after FO4?
None of this, and I don't mean just this, is their style at all. It's all been very strange to see. And incredibly disappointing. I can't even register what this is anymore. Maybe they're actually trying to break out of the cycle they've been in for god knows how long and they just really don't know how to do it anymore. Or maybe after their last two releases they thought they were solid enough to start experimenting. To be a fly on the wall at their offices right about now... ...it's like they've been living in a bubble in all of this time spent making their games. Echo chamber effect stopped anyone from realizing how bad of an idea this all was. I'll never understand how they never saw this coming in all of the time they supposedly spent working on this.
But maybe that's always been their thing. So focused on the things they want to put in their games, and all of the work and ambition spent on all of these different things, that they didn't realize what what they actually needed to focus on. Said it before... ...heads in the clouds. Been living behind the walls of their empire for a little too long.
Pfff... nothing.
I guess the author of the article didn't know about the (in)famous monocle:
www.pcgamer.com/eve-online-now-sells-70-monocles/
Funny, they compare it to some item in a game from Bethesda:
"If you've followed that, you'll have realised that in real money terms the clothes cost around $17.50 each and the implant costs more than $70.00 (or four months subscription). An astonishing amount for an item with no in game functionality. For comparison, Bethesda's often mocked Horse Armour DLC cost $2.50 on release, some 28 times less. "
Even more funny is that I've seen A LOT of players wearing that monocle ;)
p.s.
There's plenty of other examples in more recent years of "micro"transaction items costing as much or more than the $60 price of a brand new AAA game.
And it will never stop, because kids are bad with math and their parents' money.
Fallout 76 is hot garbage thats been review bombed with controversy after controversy. Rather than not dump gas on the fire oh look Bethesda dumps gas on the fire.
Eve also isnt such a mess with bait and switch tactics where they decided hey we know we lied take $5 of in game currency. Bethesda's handling of Fallout 76 thus far is like watching The South Park "BP Im Sorry episode"
Also straight from the article "I can honestly say DLC like this has no effect on me but Bethesda still, after all this has a fan base loyal enough to waste money on micro-transactions like these because if they didn't, they would not exist."
We really shouldn't be relying on modders to fix the game. We should expect a finished and working product for the price.
I know EvE is excellent, I personally dropped over $1000 in total in that game in the many years I played (mostly subscription, never interested in the cosmetic stuff)
But thats the difference between DLC in a good game and DLC in a game that needs to be fixed but likely never will.
Yes it's fun with friends (duh, it's a multiplayer game...) but also enjoyable solo imo.
Stop jumping on the bandwagon with the hate jeeeze...
End sarcasm.
Sorry but no thanks, i'll skip this like i did the half baked FO4, as it''s easy to see that they do not go by what the community want or think about actually making a game with a good long interesting story as it's beyond them. I am no Obsidian fan but dam at least they can do a good story.
Cosmetic items in an online game. They are doing it right.
The game itself is just another mediocre, half finished game. Plenty of those go forgotten every day. This one won't be, because of what it represents - what it means for a developer to make these kinds of choices. Again, it's not just the game itself. Everything Bethesda has been doing represents betrayal of everything that brought together the one-of-a-kind community that has upheld their games and made being invested in them an experience that is special to everyone who has enjoyed their games up to now. To sit and watch it all be squandered on such mediocrity in such ways is upsetting. It sucks. They made it to the top of this incredible monolith, by way of the principals behind what they did and the people who appreciated them, but just when things should be getting better than ever, they continually get more lackadaisical, like the dog who caught the garbage truck. They have things that many devs out there are probably very hungry for, some of it only attainable through luck. Being in that position means people hold them to a higher standard - there is an opportunity for a kind of awesome that's not always possible. And then on top of it they're prodding every old sore spot of long time fans, reminding us of everything they're not. They lean on their fans more and more, while offering less as time goes by.
That's why every news thread on this game pretty much immediately goes to criticizing everything they're doing. Even if they fixed most of it and turned this into a more suitable addition to their collection, people won't forget. It's too late - we've already seen how much more thoughtless, complacent, and negligent they can really be. Even fixing this wouldn't change that. I think for most people, it's time for an example to be made. 76 just crossed that line. These kinds of conversations are a given. It will probably take a lot for fans to move past it. The next release needs to be good. And then the hate will stop.
The part I find most frustrating is that they'll probably still be successful if this is the new norm. Even if they lost their standing, they will probably continue to make their money. The flipside is that the demand for what Bethesda used to bring doesn't go away, and it's only a matter of time before somebody more capable comes comes around to scoop that up. And maybe that would be a long time coming, sad to say.
Correct, we learn from our mistakes and don't reward this quality level in the first place to hopefully effect some change. We all have our moments for that. When is yours? (hint: you're doing it wrong atm)
Technically, now after a few patches it's reasonably stable. I have had crashes but these were after 5-6 hours of playing (which I'd say is not good for me anyway :)). What they said about reworked lighting and weather engine or whatnot seems to be on the money as well - nature scenes are much more beautiful than in Fallout 4.
Looks like I'm not in their core audience anyway.
They shouldn't remove new games from steam, but add option for forever linked steam account which could add this game to steam library also if buyed in bethesda shop. This could be a win-win situation where they can promote shop f.e with free dlc without loosing any sales on Steam. This apply also for Epic Games shop.