A week ago, Bethesda published the largest update for Fallout Shelter, which they labelled as the biggest update ever. The tiny keeper of the vault simulator for mobile and PC, which has been around for quite some time, has actually been”[giving](http://www.glossynews.com/news/2019-11-08-bethesda-announces-five-biggest-updates/) and [taking](https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2022/opinion-fallout-shelter-reboot/)”. Its now seasons just like the other games of the series. The first one is already active and so is “Viva New Vegas”, a new journey to Las Vegas, powered on Steam and mobile. Among others, you can build a new vault, accept new quests, etc. For a game that most probably buried in-memory been it installed in lost phone apps, a “refresh” of this size is truly a revolution.
Nevertheless, the community reacted immediately and the response was mostly negative plus the update was widely described as a mixed one. The feeling is somewhat of the same but very mixed. While some players will return instantly, on the other hand, others have not quite left and are in the non-radiating angry way.
Let us put this right. The updating probably sounds very appealing. Suppose we have seasons in Fallout Shelter; who would have even thought about that? The ‘Viva New Vegas’ theme is like a note that one with the FBI theme brought the least of the evil ones in the Fallout universe. New missions and new things to chase are on the list. “Eric Merriweather, a user who has been playing lots and lots of games, is already saying it is “a reason to go back in”, which sounds like a great example of a player who has been at the top in the years. Another player, Steven Alean, is already enjoying his time and says that they have got “good weapons and armor from the spins”. Thus, the hardcore gamers around the world seem to be satisfied with the new content.
However, if you were to go through the replies to Bethesda’s tweet you would get a quite different picture. The common sentiment is not so much about the enthusiasm for the New Vegas as it is about the “What about consoles?” to be heard. It is practically a unified call. There are some asking for it, some begging for it, and some even demanding long-term support for Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam versions along with updates.
“Just update the console version and I will play it,” stars Wayne Moriarty. Someone else is like, “Okay but we need it on consoles too.” Another person, Daniel, is demanding “Where’s the Xbox version?!” stitchfan08 is also whining, “I wish they would update the PlayStation version.” Obviously, it is a great disappointment. Gamers on these platforms feel neglected and are just seeing the big update happening without their participation. They feel like invited to a party, but the door is locked from inside.
Moreover, it is not just console players who are expressing their frustrations; the other players are even more furious. For example, a user named Grady Schroeder is detailing a bug he has been having which stops him from getting to the content he has already paid for and by the way, he is also yelling about a theme workshop bug. Others are just cynical about the shift to the seasonal model: “Fuuuck, fomo content for a hamster wheel… i hate it so much,” Kaji says, voicing discontent with live-service tactics. A different player simply calls Bethesda a “Microtransaction-oriented company.” Ouch.
In addition, the… odd… sidecomments do appear. Some of the replies simply do not make sense. A person comments, “You know, some of you in the comments are the most ungrateful people I’ve ever seen on the internet,” which sounds like a pretty usual atmosphere for any gaming comment section. Someone else, online, links this Shelter update to the modded Fallout 4 on Xbox as being “dog shit.” The person probably had a legendarily convoluted logical reasoning coming out there.
Also, one can always rely on someone to bring up Starfield every time there is a Bethesda thread. “Any news about Starfield? Your new game? Anything?” one user begs, while another is sarcastically asking, “You won’t update Starfield but you will this one?” It reminds us that a large chunk of the fans is not looking through the vault door. On the contrary, their attention is way eclipsing it.
So what is the learning point? With the seasons update, Bethesda is now massively backing Fallout Shelter in a modern way to the point that they are no longer all that discreet about it. The ‘Viva New Vegas’ season is a major increment that essentially lures back everyone.
