Fallout 76 endured a rocky launch, and an equally turbulent existence afterwards. Even Bethesda have acknowledged the disappointment that the game's launch caused. However, with no new Fallout 5 news on the horizon and some new 76 content revealed at E3, it seems like Fallout 76 will represent the franchise for a while longer. At least, it will do so officially. Although Bethesda does not seem to be working on a new single-player Fallout right now, that has not stopped the series' most ardent fans from crafting their own.
During the E3 period, Fallout London dropped a brand new trailer. This DLC-size fan mod might not have the backing of Bethesda and Microsoft, but it looks like it has exactly the right kind of tongue-in-cheek tone that underlines the best Fallout games. One of the main criticisms fans brought to Fallout 76 was the initial lack of compelling, Fallout-style content. The deep lore, extensive factions, range of exciting weapons, and incredibly detailed world design on display in Fallout London's trailer looks like it could fill that desire for a single player game in the Fallout universe.
This mod for Fallout 4 could also show the franchise where it needs to go: global. Perhaps some of the problems for Fallout 76 came from it still being set in the USA, maybe it is time to see that formula taken across the pond.
What is Fallout London?
Fallout London is an ambitious mod for Fallout 4 that takes the post apocalypse over to the jolly shores of Great Britain. Specifically, it focuses on the infamous capital. London has been home to raging infernos, rampant plagues, economic crises, and countless street protests. In short, it is the perfect UK location for a Fallout game. The mod pays extensive thematic and tonal homage to the original series, but radically alters the actual content. The Forced Evolutionary Virus that created Super Mutants, Centaurs, Deathclaws, and a large amount of Psykers apparently never reached Britain. Furthermore, Vault-Tec is an American company, and its influence has not reached the UK's capital at the time of Fallout London.
So, all told, the plight of post-apocalyptic Britain in Fallout London looks to be radically different to the main series in some ways, but eerily familiar in others. The trailer's gorgeously over-the-top cockney drawl notes: "Whilst the location might have changed: War, war never changes." Even though certain parts of the original series do not carry over, Fallout London employs multiple intriguing factions (each with complex and intertwining interests), some retro and improvised weaponry, and an iconic cityscape condensed into a traversable size. All of those elements exist in other Fallout titles, and London looks to be focussing more on the meaningful interactions between factions than other recent Fallout games.
What was Fallout 76 Missing?
That depends on who is asked. According to fans, the multiplayer Fallout game was not just disappointing, but also constituted unrepresentative marketing on Bethesda's part. In fact, ZeniMax admitted to misleading consumers with Fallout 76. Specifically, the company acknowledged that it misled some consumers about a right to refund after encountering lag, server issues, and graphical errors.
Alongside various technical issues, the game suffered from a lack of compelling content. The game had no major NPCs, base-creation was not too expansive, and lacked diverse quests and gameplay loops. Of course, Fallout 76 has changed admirably since that time. It now enjoys a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam, which far outstrips what it had at launch. A constant stream of content updates has firmly established the game as a solid multiplayer entry into the Fallout franchise.
However, that might be part of the problem. One of the things that Fallout London can give long-time fans of the franchise is a single player experience. According to Todd Howard, Fallout 5 will be single player. So, if players are looking for a well-produced, singular experience that uses Fallout's aesthetics while waiting for the fifth official game, then Fallout London could well be the perfect mod for them.
Style and Substance: What Fallout London Brings Back
One of the issues that the lacking or broken content in Fallout 76 at launch spoke to was a lack of direction for the title. It did not do much to establish a clear goal or aim. As such, players did not have any solid expectations to compare it to apart from Bethesda's solid resume of single player RPGs. Unfortunately for Fallout 76, this was not a flattering comparison. From the trailer for Fallout London, which has accrued a tidy 1.7 million views in a week, a wealth of content does not appear to be a problem.
The huge love for the setting of London is incredibly obvious throughout. Fallout London begins its trailer with a zoom out from the broken corpse of an iconic red bus, with a cockney-laden voice over taking the audience through the various factions of apocalyptic Albion. There are 7 prominent groups in the mod, including the Tommies, the Fifth Column, the Gentry, and the incredibly memorable Camelot. Each of those represent a distinct period or ideology from England's history, be it a group of utopian King Arthur enthusiasts or neo-fascists adopting contemporary British far-right symbolism.
Essentially, the mod might be small, but seems to focus on a huge wealth and depth of characters and stories within that space. With very little information apart from vague Fallout 5 rumors, the future of the series is uncertain. However, it would be very interesting to see if future Fallout games take a similar direction to Fallout London, or if Bethesda continues with the sprawling multiplayer of 76.
War Can Change: What the Series Can Learn From Fallout London
Aside from a pivot to single player, Fallout London shows that a return to some wacky but complex factions and questlines are what is needed. With a single player experience, these become much more intense to each player. The mod has been in development for nearly 4 years, and already has content available for fans to download (including some Camelot armor, British firearms, and a full Queen's guard outfit). These releases are demonstrations that a lot of content will be in the mod at launch. Ultimately, if Bethesda want to win back fans that felt wronged by Fallout 76, heaps of engaging content is exactly what it needs.
Fallout 76 is available now.