Bethesda recently announced that they will give away the Fallout Classic Collection to all Fallout 76 players. While this could be seen as a gift in the holiday spirit, it feels more like an apology. Fans have grown increasingly frustrated with Bethesda’s multitude of missteps in regards to Fallout 76. Somehow, even this gesture has been met with negativity.

First of all, the company previously announced that any PC player who preordered Fallout 76 would receive the Classic Collection. Therefore, gamers who preordered lost a significant bonus from those who bought the game after launch. If players don’t receive any legitimate perks for preordering, why would they do so for future Bethesda titles?

Additionally, a few players stated on Reddit that they failed to receive their promised rewards, but that seems to have been a small minority of players. Other longtime Fallout fans already own the older titles and have no use for the offering. Still others would prefer improved new content rather than decades-old games.

https://twitter.com/Dom47091447/status/1077101672730689536

The primary issue, however, applies to a large number of gamers. It’s also unjustifiable. 

Bethesda is giving away the Fallout Classic Collection for PC, but many players enjoy Fallout 76 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Some of those games might not even have a proper gaming computer. The promised gift/apology does not benefit those gamers in any significant way. Of course, many gamers utilize every possible platform, but that is not a universal practice. Bethesda assuredly knows that fact, yet they went ahead with this move anyway. Only providing a gift to some players won’t earn the studio many points with console gamers. Those players are making sure Bethesda knows exactly how they feel.

And what is a console player gonna do with 3 PC only games? Might aswell give us nothing cause thats the same thing, and that on too of the flop that is FO76, yay

— WeizenPaco (@WeizenPacoV2) December 22, 2018

But why would a console player want PC games? pic.twitter.com/zA89TSl7M8

— Btot (@BtotWasTaken) December 22, 2018

Im on xb1 what am i gonna do with those? pic.twitter.com/A5tx0l66yd

— Logan (@airwolf_Z2) December 22, 2018

I didn’t think we’d see a company approach EA’s disastrous handling of the Star Wars Battlefront II launch for quite some time. I’m not sure Fallout 76 has met that low standard quite yet, but they’re certainly approaching it quickly. Viewer numbers for Fallout 76 streams pale next to those of Fallout 4. The possibility of loot crates looms in the horizon. And then there are those game-breaking bugs. While plenty of players thoroughly enjoy the title, Bethesda can’t feel good about this feedback. When even free giveaways receive negative responses, perhaps it’s time to consider more drastic changes to your model.

What do you think of Bethesda giving away the Fallout Classic Collection? Is it an apology or a well-meaning gift? Let us hear your opinions in the comment section below! For more gaming news and updates, be sure to follow DFTG on Facebook and Twitter!