With the franchise’s first-ever official playable Ghoul coming soon,Falloutfans are naturally eager forFallout 76’s next update, arriving on March 18. However, even before the playable Ghoul arrives inFallout 76’s Ghoul Within and Season 20 update, this new feature has already found itself between a rock and a hard place following the announcement of one particular barrier.
Fallout 76’s new Ghoul character is inevitably in a position where its success could determine whether futureFalloutgames could continue to experiment with a wider variety of playable characters. So, if the controversy surroundingFallout 76’s playable Ghoul affects players' support for this feature, Bethesda might need to consider addressing the situation, or there could be lasting implications for the franchise’s future.
Fallout 76’s Ghoul Re-Transformation Fee Is a Double-Edged Sword
While players will be allowed one opportunity toturn their characters into a Ghoul inFallout 76, and then have the option to completely reverse this transformation for free on separate characters, it was recently revealed that further transformations on the same character will be locked behind a paywall of 1,000 Atoms, the equivalent of $10. In a recent developer AMA Stream held on Bethesda’s official community Discord,Fallout 76’s Creative Director, Jon Rush, said the following about why subsequent Ghoul transformation would ultimately be locked behind a paywall:
We want to have the option there for players who want to be able to do it, but we don’t want to encourage everybody to be switching back and forth. To me, it just felt a little tonally, it felt a little tonally off for the weight of the decision in becoming a Ghoul.
Fallout 76’s Ghoul “Cure” and Re-Transformations Are a Welcome Convenience Despite the Lore Implications
On the one hand, Bethesda is seemingly risking a retcon of theFalloutfranchise’s lore surrounding Ghoulsby giving players certain conveniences with the upcoming playable Ghoul character. Not only will players be able to completely undo their Ghoul transformation to become human again, but Ghoul players will also be able to fully recover from becoming Feral, and these are things that could have drastic implications for the franchise’s lore going forward if they are regarded as canon. So, ultimately, it’s admittedly quite generous that players will have these opportunities in the first place so that players won’t have to worry about permanently ruining their existing character’s progress if they don’t like the new Ghoul-exclusive buildcrafting tools and overall experience.
Fans Aren’t Happy With Fallout 76’s Ghoul Re-Transformation Microtransaction
On the other hand, locking subsequent Ghoul transformations behind a paywall of $10 is a steep asking price, considering that this seemingly simple service is nearly the price of a one-month subscription toFallout 76’s premium Fallout 1st program. In the short time since this paywalled service was announced,Fallout 76players have already begun sharing their strong reactions to this feature and calling for changes.
In a post that has since been removed fromFallout 76’s community Subreddit, r/fo76,Falloutfans were comparing the situation to Bethesda’s infamousHorse Armor DLC forThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, which remains one of the most controversial microtransactions in gaming history. Other fans have also stated that the announcement of this microtransaction has made them less interested in experiencing the playable Ghoul character, potentially even boycotting the new update as a whole until the situation changes. Overall, players are questioning the need for such paywalls inFallout 76considering that it isn’t a free-to-play game. Bethesda has been known to make changes toFallout 76in the past following requests from fans, even regarding monetization practices, but it remains to be seen if fans’ concerns will be addressed regarding this particular feature.
