Fallout 76 might’ve had one of the rockiest launches in gaming history but it bounced back with frequent updates to amass a decently sized player base, mainly thanks to its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass following Microsoft’s acquisition of publisher Bethesda. In newly revealed email exchanges between Xbox head of gaming Phil Spencer and Microsoft executives, it seems like Spencer had almost pulled the plug on Fallout 76 if it wasn’t for PS Now.
The email exchange between Spencer and another Microsoft executive leaked as part of its FTC court case, revealing his thoughts on Fallout 76‘s inclusion on PS Now. While he felt strongly about allowing Minecraft on PS Now – as he saw Sony’s service as a competitor to Xbox Game Pass – he felt “different” about Fallout 76. According to the email, it seems like Spencer was very close to scrapping Bethesda’s multiplayer RPG if it weren’t for PS Now.
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Spencer explained in the email:
“I’m fine with the F76 in PSNow. We have not allowed Minecraft to support PSNow as we do see PSNow as competition to XGP and don’t need to support their financial position with PSNow which would just allow them to compete more effectively with XGP. I don’t know why I feel different about F76 so open to conversation here. In my view F76 is in this interesting place. Obviously started rough. Team stays focused on improving and finding larger audience. Feels like we either need to see this thing getting to 10M MAU across all platforms or decide to move on from it and if you believe PSNow can support it gaining relevance then I’m supportive.”
Fallout 76 eventually found its way to PS Now as well as the PlayStation Plus Extra library of games, managing to reach more players and keep the player base alive and thriving. Needless to say, this saved it from what could’ve been a pretty swift end.
The Xbox leak is one of the biggest in gaming history, revealing Microsoft’s future plans for a revised disc-less Xbox Series X console as well as the company’s goal to launch the next Xbox by 2028. The leaked documents also laid out Bethesda’s release schedule for the next few years which includes remasters for Oblivion and Fallout 3, a sequel to Ghostwire: Tokyo and even a 2026 target window for The Elder Scrolls 6.
Source: The Gamer
