“Nylongate” is what we call Bethesda’s snafu when it sent out nylon bags instead of the advertised canvas material to Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition buyers. Bethesda tried to make amends by handing out 500 Atoms of in-game currency, worth $5.00, but that was met with even more backlash.
Vocal gamers felt victims of false advertising given that the Power Armor Edition costs $200. Bethesda’s reasoning was that they ran out of canvas material, so it had to switch to nylon. Except, some eagle-eyed gamers spotted one particular streamer with what looks like a Fallout 76 bag made of canvas. In some cases, the bags are not West-Tek duffels, but they’re still better than nylon.
Bethesda’s dodgy dealings.@SidAlpha @OneAngryGamerHD @mombot @PhoxelHQ @Grummz @AntisocialJW2 @Brad_Glasgow @brandonorselli @nichegamer @GamesNosh @appabend @WeaponizedRage pic.twitter.com/Y6yxEXfY5q
— Suitably Bored (@BoredSuitably) November 30, 2018
Heavenly West Virginia
The tweet comes from @BoredSuitably, who compiled a list of digital influencers who were flown to Fallout 76 pre-launch event. The October event was held in West Virginia, where the game is set. Apparently, gamers were flown in to stay at the luxurious Greenbrier Hotel, one of the grandest and most historic vacation spots in the state.
The tweet also mentions a streamer who received several Fallout 76 goodies inside a canvas bag. You can spot this at the upper right side of the image above. It might not have been the Power Armor Edition West-Tek bag but it is was certainly made of canvas.
YouTube personality YongYea was also mentioned in the tweet. However, it seems to be an error since his surprise package, which included the Power Armor Edition, had a nylon bag inside.
The Fallout From Fallout 76 Freebies
To be completely fair, there is nothing inherently wrong with the practice. Big companies do this every now and then, especially when it comes to major launch events. Influencers and others often receive freebies when attending events and conventions.
A major point of contention, however, is Bethesda’s reasoning. They had to switch to nylon simply because they ran out of canvas. Still, if quality bags made of canvas were given for free to streamers while paying customers got the cheap ones, then it reflects poorly on the company.
However, we don’t know for certain how many influencers received free canvas bags. Nor do we know how many were handed out in general. We’ve reached out to Bethesda and @BoredSuitably for comment.
