Bethesda director and executive producer Todd Howard has called once panned Fallout 76 “sneaky popular” now that it’s crossed 20 million players.
Speaking to Variety, Howard confirmed the 20 million number was passed on May 29, 2024: almost six years after the game was released. “It’s kind of been sneaky popular for a while, but not to this level and it’s just been really great for the for the whole studio,” Howard said.
Amazon’s Fallout TV show, which arrived in April 2024, was credited with Fallout 76’s recent popularity, with Howard saying it’s effect is like nothing he’s ever seen.
“Depending on the Fallout game, you’re looking at a four to six times increase in daily players, which is beyond anything I’ve ever seen in my 30 years of doing this,” Howard said.
“Having an event that brings that many people into games that you have and who have never played your games before, that’s a big thing. New players who have never played a game or never played one of our games. It’s a really, really unique moment.”
Fallout 76’s boost in player numbers was felt soon after the show released, as Bethesda revealed it saw over one million people play in a single day in April, but this 20 million players milestone is another level of success.
In our 7/10 2024 review of the game, IGN said: ” Fallout 76 finally captures a lot of the post-nuclear experience [we] love. It trades roleplaying decision-making for multiplayer shooter antics, but it still needs more endgame content and a fair inventory solution.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
