Less than two weeks after the launch of Fallout 76 , retailers are already offering major discounts on Bethesda’s new multiplayer RPG, including a 42% price cut through Amazon. This is not sitting well with some players that recently paid full retail price, and these disgruntled Vault Dwellers are suggesting that early adopters should be awarded some form of compensation. It seems that Bethesda agrees, as a player on Reddit, u/IzaakGoldbaum, has recently reported that Bethesda Customer Support has added “500 compensatory Atoms” to their account.
A virtual currency, Atoms are awarded to players for completing in-game tasks and can also be purchased for real-world money at a rate of around $1 per 100 Atoms. The game’s Atomic Store then provides a way to exchange Atoms for cosmetic items, including new emotes and Power Armor paints.
It is important to note that the Atoms u/IzaakGoldbaum has been promised are not an automated compensation for all players that activated their Fallout 76 account prior to its sale — at least, not yet. This recompense comes following a ticket submitted to Bethesda Customer Support, which the Redditor describes as “a nice, polite rage,” and players taking a similar approach may meet a different response.
In another recent Reddit post, u/ZPKane demonstrated that Bethesda has not ironed out exactly how they are going to handle unhappy Fallout 76 players. After submitting a request for reimbursement to Customer Support, u/ZPKane was told that restitution was forthcoming. The next day, the Redditor received a message indicating they were, in fact, not eligible for a reimbursement. As such, mileage may vary when attempting to seek compensation following the price cuts that have hit Fallout 76 .
To say that the game’s launch has not been smooth would be an understatement. Game-breaking bugs, general unrest about stash sizes, performance issues, and large patches that seem to be light on fixes have left many players frustrated. This can be seen in the Metacritic review bombing that followed its release, and critical opinion has sufficiently established Fallout 76 as the worst reviewed game in Bethesda’s history.
While free Atoms are a step towards keeping dissatisfied players invested, some may feel that a $5 value is not suitable compensation in the face of the game’s $25 price cut. For those of us that are still enjoying the game despite its major issues, it is hard not to wonder if anyone will still be left in Appalachia even if Bethesda is able to right the ship and turn Fallout 76 into something great.
Fallout 76 is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.