The backlash Bethesda received over Fallout 76 was a harsh blow, but a recent interview with a senior executive admitted the true impact of the adverse response. We now know that 76’s catastrophic release contributed to the delay of DOOM Eternal to stop history from repeating itself.

Appearing on USGamer’s Branching Narrative’s podcast, Pete Hines, the senior vice president of global marketing and communications at Bethesda, lifted the vale on DOOM Eternal’s delay. After commenting on multiple topics, Hines admitted that Eternal’s setback was largely due to the negative reception received after Fallout 76’s release. He also went on to talk about the effect this decision had on Bethesda’s future releases and the general mentality moving forward.

Elaborating in his interview by saying “We said, ‘These are not ready, and we’re not going to make another mistake, and we’re going to take the extra time even though that time hurts, and is painful, and you miss a holiday,” Hines admitted Bethesda’s past mishaps. He emphasized that the extra time spent on DOOM Eternal paid off and ultimately benefited Wastelanders under the same rules. Hines also spoke briefly on Arkane Studios’ Deathloop - scheduled to release on PlayStation 5 - explaining that it’s a worthwhile and rewarding experience. Hines remained tight-lipped on The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield that both premiered its teasers at E3 2018.

Fallout 76 has transpired to be a product of poor time management, polluted with various bugs and poor quality graphics. Its technicalities certainly got a deserved beating from gamers, however the core of the game seemed to be a fun affair for fans regardless. Bethesda’s latest update, Fallout 76: Wastelanders, claimed to exterminate 1,000 bugs and glitches that previously appeared in the base game and was generally received well.

Scheduled for release in November 2019, DOOM Eternal was abruptly moved to debut on March 19th, 2020, missing the Christmas slot. It’s new date offered a well-received marketing show as it coincided with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons that exploited the game’s contradicting genre’s. DOOM Eternal scored an 88 with Metacritic, but the game was not without its own issues. Bethesda’s addition of a Denuvo Anti-Cheat and a kernel-mode driver to scan for cheats angered fans who had no warning of the data collecting software.

Bethesda has openly admitted its error in rushing Fallout 76. The extra time taken to release DOOM Eternal and 76’s update, Wastelanders, proved that the company is able to learn from its mistakes and confidently move forward.

Source: GameRant

More: Fallout 76: Wastelanders Is A Huge Step In The Right Direction