"We can't just continue making the map bigger and bigger": Why Bethesda want to expand Fallout 76 inwards, not just outwards

Expect much section developments successful 2026

Mark’s connected vacation today, which means we can’t bash our accustomed happening of workplace-bullying him into penning astir Fallout 76 portion we beryllium astir successful wingback chairs drinking Glenfiddich. But if helium were here, he’d surely beryllium thrilled to enactment this PCGN interrogation with Bethesda Game Studios originative manager Jon Rush, who says helium hopes the multiplayer RPG tin go "thicker" successful 2026. Oh my.

More specifically, Rush explains however pursuing the large map-widening expansions of Skyline Valley and Burning Springs – the second besides serving arsenic a tie-in with Amazon’s mostly decent Fallout TV adaptation – the anticipation is present to physique up Fallout 76’s existing spaces, adding extent arsenic good arsenic breadth.

"For this adjacent year, I truly privation our regard to displacement from the outskirts to inwards - marque the crippled thicker," helium says, conjuring up intelligence images of a glowing and uncomfortably spicy roux. "New systems oregon caller ways to prosecute with existing content, those are each precise overmuch connected the paper for this year."

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios

There is immoderate pragmaticism down the displacement successful update tactics, with "technical considerations" precluding an endless widening of the game’s explorable satellite – "we can’t conscionable proceed making the representation bigger and bigger," arsenic Rush puts it. But filling retired and adding to the wasteland endurance pursuits successful much acquainted locales has been tried before, with success. Rush points to past year’s loosening of the gathering rules for Fallout 76’s C.A.M.P. construction, which enabled much ambitious and originative colony builds crossed a wider scope of terrain, arsenic an illustration of however such, erm, thickening makes for a amended game.

The C.A.M.P. changes were, helium says, designed to "allow radical to get to prosecute with the satellite successful much ways than they could before... [the updates] had a immense interaction connected our players, and the things that they privation to bash successful the world."

While it mightiness truthful beryllium a bully agelong clip earlier Fallout 76’s vault dwellers volition beryllium exploring immoderate genuinely untouched patches of irradiated dirt, it sounds similar Bethesda volition beryllium providing plentifulness much things to bash connected location turf. In the meantime, wherefore not instrumentality a circuit of Burning Springs’ lovingly wrecked Ohio with a gen-yoo-ayyyyyn Ohio historian? It’s what Mark would person wanted.