Bethesda is offering a promotional deal for Amazon Prime members to celebrate the successful debut of Prime Video’s Fallout series. From April 11 to May 15, Prime members can claim a free code for Fallout 76, redeemable on the Microsoft Store. This code must be used by June 24, after which it will expire, and the game will return to its regular price of $40.
Fallout 76 launched nearly six years ago and is the latest installment in Bethesda’s acclaimed Fallout series. Despite its age, the game still retails for $40 on most digital platforms, making this offer a significant saving. The promotion coincides with the premiere of Fallout on Prime Video, which has been met with critical acclaim, boasting a 93% critics score and an 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show has been praised for its faithful adaptation of the game’s post-apocalyptic world, comparing favorably to HBO’s The Last of Us as one of the best video game adaptations.
However, it’s worth noting that Fallout 76 differs significantly from its predecessors. Unlike the single-player RPG format of Fallout 1-4, which focus on narrative-driven campaigns and exploration, Fallout 76 is an online multiplayer RPG without a traditional story mode. Released in 2018, it received mixed reviews and is considered the black sheep of the franchise, with a Metacritic score of 52/100 from critics and 2.8/10 from users.
Given its reception, some might question the decision to promote Fallout 76 rather than a more popular title like Fallout 4 or Fallout: New Vegas. These games would potentially serve as better introductions to the Fallout series for new fans, especially with a next-generation update for Fallout 4 scheduled for release on April 25.
The move to offer Fallout 76 for free reflects a broader trend of varying success in video game adaptations, with Fallout and The Last of Us setting high standards for authenticity and engagement, unlike adaptations such as Far Cry and Uncharted, which have generally received less favorable responses.
