In some somewhat surprising news, it looks as though Bethesda Game Studios can actually take a win from Fallout 76. The developer has just revealed that its divisive multiplayer entry into the Fallout series has built up an astounding player base. It turns out that Fallout 76 now has over 13.5 players exploring the wilds of Appalachia.

This figure is in stark contrast to that of Fallout 76‘s original audiences. When the game first launched back in 2018, it generated pretty poor sales figures. This was thanks in part to a rocky launch period and some fans’ discontent with the new real-time multiplayer take on a franchise that has long been a single-player adventure RPG.

However, things have changed pretty significantly from those early days of the game. Fallout 76 has received a number of DLC expansions, as well as ongoing updates, content and events that have effectively transformed the game from an empty experience to a flourishing, live-service multiplayer shooter. Bethesda clearly had no intentions of abandoning the project, despite its initially poor reception and floundering sales. Their work to keep Fallout 76 alive and thriving is clearly paying off. Player figures back in October of this year first reached the 13 million mark, and it seems that that number just keeps on growing.

Of course, these numbers aren’t necessarily representative of Fallout 76‘s sales figures. The game is currently available on Xbox Game Pass, meaning a majority of players can access the title as part of their ongoing subscription. Still, this doesn’t take away from the fact that more and more people are actually playing the game. This is quite the achievement given its widely-reported difficulties in its first year and somewhat beyond.

Fallout 76 has definitely been enjoying something of a renaissance over this past year. Bethesda has also released some stats from the game, revealing that almost 3 million nukes have been dropped in-game over the past 12 months. Additionally, players have completed over 5 million expedition missions and almost 9.5 million daily ops in the game. It’s clear that Fallout 76‘s additional DLC and regular events have helped breathe new life into the title. Regardless, players are sure to be looking ahead to the future of the Fallout franchise, with many patiently waiting for new updates on Fallout 5. We’ll be keeping an eye out for any news on that, whenever that may be.

Fallout 76 is available now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC.

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