Despite several “franchise firsts” in terms of the title’s gameplay, “Fallout 76” is not going to leap to another video game genre. Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard recently explained why they do not like to consider “Fallout 76” a survival game.
The announcement of “Fallout 76” at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last June was highly expected. However, fans were still treated to several surprises due to the all-new gameplay features confirmed in its presentation, like the lack of non-playable characters (NPCs) or the addition of online multiplayer gameplay.
Despite these big changes, Howard told The Guardian that they still would not prefer to call “Fallout 76” a survival game. In an interview published on Tuesday, Howard said, “We avoid the word ‘survival’ because people’s minds immediately go to ‘DayZ’ and ‘Rust’ and certain other games, and those comparisons are not really accurate for what we’re doing.”
Most online survival video games need to maintain a gameplay where all players will start the game on an equal footing. So, normally, players begin without any weapon and will have to scavenge the area for loots. However, some players can be luckier than others. And those who are having a bad day can exit the game pretty soon simply for not having the proper tools to fight an enemy.
Howard implied that is not the scenario they want to dominate in the “Fallout 76” main campaign. “No, that’s not fun. Well, it’s fun for whoever killed you, but not for you … Death is already bad enough in a game because you’re losing time, that we didn’t feel we needed to add any further penalty. We wanted to make sure you don’t lose your progression,” Howard explained.
On the other hand, Howard’s recent interview seems to be a response to an earlier rumor that spread even before “Fallout 76” was announced. In May there were reports claiming that “Fallout 76” is somewhat the franchise’s transition to the role-playing survival game genre.
“Fallout 76” will be released on Nov. 14 on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Players who will pre-order the game can access the game early through an exclusive open beta.


Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies
Palantir Stock Jumps After Strong Q4 Earnings Beat and Upbeat 2026 Revenue Forecast
SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026
Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge
Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Acquires xAI in Historic Deal Uniting Space and Artificial Intelligence
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 



