“I like NW, but you cant put zero effort into the game mode and expect it to retain playerbase,” wrote one player on the game’s subreddit. 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. 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.
Ending support for the mode was a difficult decision, and not one that we made lightly. We know that some of you are incredibly passionate about Nuclear Winter, and that you may find this news disappointing.
“It has also become tougher to put full Nuclear Winter lobbies together without also making sacrifices on match wait times,” the post reads. Survival, a version of the game focused on open-world PvP in the game’s main map of Appalachia was also sunset in March of 2019.īethesda notes that a major part of its decision making process was the inability to quickly fill a lobby. This is proving somewhat of a controversial decision for a segment of the Fallout 76 playerbase, as Nuclear Winter was the only supported PvP game mode. The mode simply hasn’t proved popular enough to justify its inclusion, the company said, and Bethesda will be prioritizing the game’s Adventure Mode. The mode will be permanently removed in a September update, according to an official post by Bethesda. But it’s going to be tough for PUBG if it wants to make that fraction a little less ugly.Nuclear Winter, Fallout 76’s battle royale mode, is saying goodbye. That doesn’t say, of course, that Fortnite is a better game than PUBG. Its lower price, more tangible rewards, and multiplatform appeal are all factors that give Fortnite the money-generating advantage. But Fortnite just does a few things just differently enough, that form the perfect set of circumstances that make players pony up the cash more. That shouldn’t happen, based on the ridiculous amount of hype for each game. So, after each game’s respective first week on mobile, it came out that PUBG only earned a fifth of what Fortnite earned.
Also, Fortnite is all Epic Account-based, so everything you earn appears regardless of what platform you play on. Two, Fortnite straight-up sells its goodies, rotating through daily and featured items players can purchase without random drop rates. Participating in a season doesn’t require the purchase, but it does expand the number of awards earned through normal play. Loot boxes are not the favorite children of the gaming industry, and while PUBG fans are certainly willing to drop some dollars on them, just as many never will out of revulsion. But as a game of its type, it kinda needs additional revenue generation in 2018. Now, PUBG doesn’t necessarily need them as much, with the $30 entry fee. Yes, I’m talking about microtransactions. But then, Fortnite and PUBG duking it out on mobile exposed one of the biggest differences between the two games, and the biggest weakness PUBG has in terms of revenue. Even if it was only a matter of days, any lead at all is a big deal. The game was on consoles while PUBG as an Xbox One joint was still just an E3 announcement. Meanwhile, Fortnite was already on consoles in its original PvE form, and the battle royale gimmick just came as a free, standalone update.
PUBG sat as a PC exclusive for several years in Internet time. Second, Fortnite won the race to alternate platforms. The headlines about middle and high-school kids shutting down school networks playing Fortnite on mobile are fueled by kids being able to jump in on the fad at no expense. This expands the potential audience in what may have been unexpected ways to those so tuned in to the gaming community – younger people.
PUBG built the genre hype to stupendous levels, then Fortnite was able to ride the wave and pick up everyone who didn’t have a gaming PC or even $30 to spare on something that wasn’t a sure bet.
And being free pairs great with being next. Fortnite’s battle royale variant is free.