Bethesda will scrap Fallout 76’s battle royale mode ‘Nuclear Winter’ later this year due to dwindling player interest.
The studio intends to sunset the mode as part of its upcoming September update, and has found it challenging to meaningfully iterate on the battle royale mode while also developing and supporting Adventure Mode.
Bethesda also noted it has become tougher to bring together full Nuclear Winter lobbies without making sacrifices on match wait times.
“We know that some of you are incredibly passionate about Nuclear Winter, and that you may find this news disappointing. Ending support for the mode was a difficult decision, and not one that we made lightly,” explained the studio in a blog post.
“We’re still working to provide methods of PVP combat for those who enjoy squaring off against other former Vault Dwellers, and a little later this year, we will release details on how we plan to offer players even more ways to play Fallout 76. Additionally, we’re going to compensate everyone who participated in Nuclear Winter, from those who only joined a single match to our most battle-hardened Overseers.”
Bethesda will reward those players who dipped into Nuclear Winter by gifting them Perk Coins that can be used in Adventure Mode. Each character will receive 6 Perk Coins per Overseer Rank they achieved, up to a maximum of 600, along with 1 Perk Coin for each Observer Ticket they earned, up to a maximum of 200. All players who completed at least one Nuclear Winter match will also receive a Nuclear Winter themed Pennant.
Some rewards exclusive to the game mode will also be integrated into Fallout 76 in other ways.