Fallout 76 has seen a massive influx of new and returning players after the popularity of Amazon’s TV show, though friends on different platforms aren’t able to play together due to the game’s lack of cross-play support. Bethesda director Todd Howard explained in a recent interview why the game still doesn’t have cross-play nearly six years after its launch. As it turns out, Fallout 76 simply wasn’t designed for it.
During a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games, Todd Howard addressed the decision to bypass cross-play support for Fallout 76. According to Howard, the team mainly focuses on cross-progression instead of cross-play.
Regarding the lack of cross-play support in Fallout 76, Howard responded:
“From us, the more important thing is cross-progression than cross-play and we do separate them. We’d love to have it all, it’s something we are looking at but I will say it’s quite–you know the way that it was architected from the beginning is quite a technical lift. Not saying we aren’t doing anything. We are looking at it and seeing where that’s going to impact people.”
Howard later added that he believed cross-play is “important” and that the team will be “really really mindful” about it, though it seems like the focus is on cross-progression for the time being, which allows users to carry over their save data and progress to other platforms thanks to the linked Bethesda.net accounts.
Fallout 76 initially launched in 2018 to very divisive reviews from fans and critics. While the game’s open world was praised, many found it simply lacked the fundamentals including NPCs and a proper storyline. The game’s technical limitations – largely built on the older Creation Engine with many assets carried over from 2015’s Fallout 4 – was also a big point of discussion. Thanks to updates over the years, Fallout 76 is in much better shape today than it was six years ago.
Source: Kinda Funny Games
