Fallout 76 won't be available on Steam

[midian182]

What just happened? Whatever your opinion on Fallout 76, its core gameplay appears to be a departure from what we’ve seen in the last few games. Now, it’s been revealed that the upcoming title will differentiate itself in another way: Fallout 76 will be the first 3D entry in the series not available on Steam.

In Fallout 76’s beta FAQ, it’s stated that “the game will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and on PC (via Bethesda.net only)." The lack of Steam support has since been confirmed by Bethesda, which said “the PC version of Fallout 76, for both the B.E.T.A. and the launch, will be available only via Bethesda.net, not on Steam."

Bethesda.net has seen PC titles launch exclusively on the platform in the past—Fallout Shelter and Quake Champions—both of which eventually arrived on Steam. While these instances could suggest that Fallout 76 will come to Valve’s service in time, Bethesda never indicated that this would happen.

Bethesda didn't specify any reasons for choosing its own product over Steam but, as with so many things in life, it could all come down to money. Steam charges publishers a 30 percent fee every time a game is sold on its platform; as Fallout 76 will likely be popular, that translates to a lot of money lost to Valve. Plus, the exclusivity should help increase the number of visitors to Bethesda.net.

The news does come as a bit of a surprise, considering that Steam is the world’s largest digital games distribution service and used by millions. But the announcement comes just after Epic Games confirmed that Fortnite would be avoiding Google Play’s 30 percent fee by letting Android users download it straight from the mobile website.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/75848-fallout-76-wont-available-steam.html

 

[OcelotRex]

Not going with Steam makes this purchase riskier to me. I think I'll sit out a few weeks, allow the game to mature and some bugs to be worked out, then decide on purchasing or not.

 

[Jamlad]

This didn't work out so well for EA when they tried to release the last SimCity.

And I'm sure they were confident that they had it all sorted in advance too.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Balkanized game launchers...what a waste. I have several games which require 'publisher approval' to run, but they don't run any more because they aren't supported (or I'm too stupid to work out all the cr*p they want entered). Maybe I'll wait on any restrictive 'Bathesda.net' purchases .... it's just another type of DRM. Steam or GOG has other things to do.

 

[MasterMace]

This didn't work out so well for EA when they tried to release the last SimCity.

And I'm sure they were confident that they had it all sorted in advance too.

SimCity's failings were in its online-only setup, despite it being primarily single player. People have been enjoying The Elder Scrolls series since well before Steam existed.

 

[fps4ever]

I have no problems with what they are doing. The Fallout franchise is huge and it's fans will purchase it if the game play changes aren't to radical and it's not a buggy POS.

 

[TomSEA]

I have no problems with what they are doing. The Fallout franchise is huge and it's fans will purchase it if the game play changes aren't to radical and it's not a buggy POS.

Agreed. Publisher's have the right to distribute their product on whatever platform they want. If they end up losing money as a result - that's on them. But don't think that will be the case with this game. Fallout is arguably the most popular series in gaming history, so they have no lack of fans. You could slap the name "Fallout" on a rock and a million people would buy it.

 

[JordLevy]

I don't see any issue with this. Steam is great for smaller game developers, but for a big boy like Bethesda to start cessioning off 30% of their revenue to Valve for offering a digital storefront? I certainly don't blame them. Bethesda is fully capable of offering their own marketplace for purchases and I'm sure they'll take all the necessary steps to protect payment info. Those who think of this as another form of DRM are missing the point of this move. Valve really ought to look at a sliding scale model for Steam revenue share, as it seems that big studios and other developers for other platforms (iOS and Android) are getting tired of such a flat revenue share model.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

So here's the thing... Steam is EASY for users, and works well. That is why we like it. Origin, Uplay, etc. all these other platforms by their respective publishers SUCK and are difficult to use, and don't work all that well. Granted they have gotten better (at least Origin has, a little) but they still suck compared to Steam.

Some of us gamers are patient, and will just turn a blind eye to your game because it isn't on Steam. Or even worse, some of us will steal a pirated copy. So, in the end, you probably lose money by not putting your game on Steam.

Just my opinion... hate it if you wish.

 

[texasrattler]

This isn't really news since I believe this was even said at E3 or at least that's what was being said by some hosts. Also if you looked at pre orders from the beginning, Steam was never on the list you could pre order from.

 

[texasrattler]

So here's the thing... Steam is EASY for users, and works well. That is why we like it. Origin, Uplay, etc. all these other platforms by their respective publishers SUCK and are difficult to use, and don't work all that well. Granted they have gotten better (at least Origin has, a little) but they still suck compared to Steam.

Some of us gamers are patient, and will just turn a blind eye to your game because it isn't on Steam. Or even worse, some of us will steal a pirated copy. So, in the end, you probably lose money by not putting your game on Steam.

Just my opinion... hate it if you wish.

They wont lose a single dime. Fallout is a big franchise and gamers will not care that the game is not on Steam. Which isn't all that great that you made it out to be. Hence, why BO4 and Fallout left Steam. Their devs can control it better and give better support.
There wont be any fan of either series that will care that Steam is not involved. Some will prefer it.

 

[Hexic]

Eh, unless the game and/or platform support sucks I think they'll be fine. Saving that extra 30% is a large boon to other R&D, platform support, maintenance, etc.

Blizzard has had their own proprietary platform since the very beginning, being the first ones in this marketplace - and they haven't ever needed anyone.

Make good games, make good money.

 

[ghostf1re]

I'm not a huge fan of this honestly. Steam has been my go to for PC gaming since the service launched. Steam is great because it brings all of the games together. Hell even steam supports launching additional launchers to play games, such as Ubisoft titles. I also like the ability to send and receive messages from friends on Steam during play. I'll be happy if I can add it as a non-steam game and still be able to use the Steam overlay.

 

[Misagt]

I think Bethesda is jealous of Epic's success after they skipped Steam. I personally will probably not buy the game now unless it's spectacular.

 

[Kibaruk]

You can say what ever you want about the fan base and it's true, they will keep playing the game but Bethesda won't reach a bigger side of the market that won't create a new account for a specific game distribution system.

 

[JaredTheDragon]

What's Steam?

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Hrr hrr.... well I never liked Fallout anyway, just couldn't get into it. Yet I loved STALKER. So figure that out.

 

[Mister_K]

What's Steam?

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dMgNCPuO...DIzOmbLACLcBGAs/s1600/living_under_a_rock.png

 

[HotToz]

So if they are cutting off 30% from Steam that mean we can buy the game for around $35 ?

 

[Anthony j]

I can understand this move financially, but my main concern is patches and updates. Steam automatically handles updates, hot fixes and patches in real time. If Bethesda creates a launcher similar to steam it’ll help, if not then will we have to keep an eye on the website for updates? Just a bit in the dark right now. Iv always enjoyed steam but I do have games outside of steam with no issues.

 

[amghwk]

Funny to see many are depending on platforms like Steam to install and play.

 

[dogofwars]

Well they can "afford" to lose 30% which is probably a win/win situation anyway since I doubt there will be much holding on to wait for the Steam version. Also it will be able to provide patches much faster which in turn help with people holding on before spending money because of bugs. Most people have no patience or backbone so they won't stand their ground to protest so again it's win/win for Bethesda.

 

[Sergey Novikov]

That's terrible news!

 

[JordLevy]

Funny to see many are depending on platforms like Steam to install and play.

Right? It's hilarious to see how dependant people are on things like Steam in order to play games. Seriously it isn't hard to go to go elsewhere to play.

 

[HotToz]

Right? It's hilarious to see how dependant people are on things like Steam in order to play games. Seriously it isn't hard to go to go elsewhere to play.

Yes, it is really hard to find another good place with so many games and features including family share, broadcasting, in home streaming, reviews. I have more than 600 games in Steam that I share with my brothers and nephews. I haven't seen similar option on other platforms and I have used other system as Origin, Battlenet, GOG, Uplay when they give free games otherwise I only put my money in Steam (My moto, if the game is not in steam, I don't buy it).