Since QuakeCon this year, Bethesda has made it clear that it wants mod support for Fallout 76. The plan was to allow player-created mods for its online game sometime after launch. Just how long? Well, we didn’t know… until today. And you’re not going to like the answer. Speaking to GameSpot, Bethesda marketing guru Pete Hines revealed that mods could be a year away from November, at least.
Without offering a direct quote, GameSpot mentioned that Hines said mods may not be fully supported until at least November 2019. Hopefully, Fallout 76 provides enough content to keep players entertained until then. Of course, if people are still playing Skyrim 11 years after its release on all matter of devices and maybe also the microwave (we’ll get back to you on that), then it shouldn’t be a major problem.
It’ll be many a time before mods will appear in Fallout 76.
Hines also clarified that you won’t be able to bring your personal mods to public servers. Instead, you would need a private server specifically designed for modification. Oh, and private servers won’t be available at launch, either. The mod hiatus will be a harsh mistress, indeed.
“I don’t foresee a universe in which we allow players to come in [to Fallout 76’s public servers] with their own unique and different mods. If you want to run mods, they’ll have to be done on a private server,” Hines told GameSpot. “You’ll be deciding what sort of mods you’re including and running, and everyone playing on that server is playing with those mods.”
Mods Be Praised
During QuakeCon this year, we theorized that mods would be unique to every player, but they would change the nature of the game. In other words, UI changes or other passive tweaks, much like how we see in World of Warcraft. This latest reveal, however, suggests that Fallout 76 may run the gamut of modifications, from said UI upgrades to perhaps even as far-reaching as extensive weapon variants. We joked about a machine gun that fired mini-nukes — as it stands, we might not be far off the mark.
Regardless, Bethesda has yet to outline the plan for mod support. But it is a feature that the company plans to utilize to the fullest. “Given the online nature [of Fallout 76], it’s going to be very complicated,” Howard said during the QuakeCon QA, “but we’re committed to it.”
Fallout 76 will launch on PC on November 14. A beta for the game will begin on October 30 for PC players.
