Last week, Bethesda gave fans a view of the updates to come in the months following the Wastelanders DLC for Fallout 76. Like most Fallout 76 updates, this roadmap immediately sparked complaints about monetization and pay-to-win tactics. Unlike most complaints, however, these were based on a misunderstanding of Bethesda’s wording.
Bethesda’s roadmap establishes three seasons with new updates in each season. The updates are accompanied by a reward track that replaces the current daily challenge system. Players who complete challenges on the reward track get awards. There is also a Premium Track that gives bonus awards as players progress along the track. Access to the Premium Track is gained through a sort of battle pass type system, but Bethesda announced that during the first season the Premium Track would be free.
However, due to the wording of the announcement, Bethesda implied that the content that would be included in the seasons would be free for the first season, with the inferred conclusion that the rest of the content would not be free. However, Bethesda clarified that these seasons “will be free for all of [Fallout 76’s] players,” and that only the premium track would be paid.
To be clear, this is still a monetization tactic, but it includes less intrusive microtransactions than previously thought. Hopefully, the premium track won’t cut off too many cosmetics from players who don’t buy the battle pass, but at least Fallout 76 is not putting content behind a paywall at this moment.
Source: Destructoid
