Fallout 76’s Jonathan Rush Reveals Secret to Game’s Longevity After 13 Seasons

Those who are fond of Fallout 76’s Appalachia will know that the post-nuclear wasteland of West Virginia is ever-changing with each new season. The post-apocalypse recently became home to new phenomena and creatures that only appear in the Once in a Blue Moon update.

The thirteenth season of Fallout 76 sees the release of the new, free update on June 20. In addition to bug fixes and other enhancements to the game, this update also includes new Public Events and Cryptids for players to encounter.

IGN Southeast Asia spoke to Art Director Jonathan Rush on the Once in a Blue Moon update and the game’s legacy as a whole.

What made the Once in a Blue Moon update the right time to focus on the highly popular Blue Ridge Caravan Company faction?

The two new Public Events for this update, Safe and Sound and Beasts of Burden lets players get to know the Blue Ridge Caravan Company.

Probably one of our most popular factions that are Fallout 76-specific and that faction in particular seemed to be a really good fit for the types of public events that we wanted to put out in this patch.

So, since they're kind of a fan-favorite and we love kind of exploring their lore a bit more for players, they seemed like a good match for this major update.

Fallout 76 has faced many challenges and obstacles since its launch, but it has managed to survive and grow until the current season and beyond. What is the key to Fallout 76’s success in overcoming those problems and retaining player loyalty?

As a live service game, it's kind of interesting, especially nowadays. There are so many avenues for players to talk about the games they're playing, or even converse with the developers of those games.

On places like Reddit, YouTube and Twitter, our developers are really keeping their fingers on the pulse of what our players are experiencing, what our players want to see and and doing what we can to wrap all of that in the current Fallout lore and tone.

I think this is what has really garnished the continued support from our fan base, and we've got a really big fan base, very dedicated. So being able to facilitate all the different play styles of the fan base to keep them all interested and engaged has been the key.

What are you most proud of with Fallout 76 as a game developer?

Again with the advent of games as a service, there’s something unique with the cadence of releases that we have and how we’ve been able to get that player feedback really quickly. Sometimes, it’s very positive and sometimes it's very critical, but it's all aimed at making the game and the space better.

So what I'm most proud of and satisfied with Fallout 76 as a game developer is how engaged our community has been for all these years. They want to see the game grow just as much as we do. I can't say I've ever been a part of a game where the developers and the players had that kind of relationship, so that's that's what I'm the most satisfied and proud of with Fallout 76.

How does your team balance between the solo and multiplayer experience in Fallout 76?

Our traditional Fallout players have always played the game solo, all the way from the first Fallout up to Fallout 4.

So, the balance there is keeping that sort of content readily available for players and also keeping that content fresh so that there are new things for them to do if they want to go out and explore as a lone wolf. But also, keep in mind how players want to interface with one another, such as with our camp builders as an example.

One thing I've noticed when I hop in the game is that when I'm going to people's camps, they'll just be people sitting there waiting for other players to come by and look at their camps and they jump down and they're all excited.

They're giving out free stuff and they're emoting all over and I think it's great. They want you to see how they've expressed themselves in the wasteland. The mark that they've left, to me, is a big part of the multiplayer aspect, so being able to satisfy both pools of players I think, is key.

With thirteen seasons and plenty more moving forward, how much do the old Fallout games inform all the new content coming?

Well, the roots of Fallout 76 are embedded in the past titles, with the lore and the fiction that have been set up along the way. So as we continue to develop Fallout 76, we definitely need to be aware and respective of that lore and some of the boundaries within it.

I think that where 76 has gone is probably in reaction to the multiplayer aspect of the game. That's really facilitating our camp builders and how we can explore how Fallout can be different in the Appalachian setting that we've set up.

What's your favourite Fallout game of all time?

My favorite game is Fallout 76, though I have previously played Fallout 4 for hundreds and hundreds of hours. There are lots of stories from Fallout 4, and I remember talking with my friends who were playing it at that time.

We were talking about what we were doing and wishing that we could show one another how we’ve each built up our bases. So with Fallout 76, just the idea that at its core is being able to experience that with other players was really awesome.

Are there any key quality-of-life improvements that you're happy to see in the game currently?

That is one thing that's just as important as developing outwards, since new content is also constantly coming, our team is always looking for ways to make this existing content even better.

One of the big quality-of-life improvements was for people playing on the newer generation of consoles and finding ways that we could enhance people's experience by taking advantage of that newer hardware and improving the performance of the game.

For Southeast Asian game developers, any advice for those who are trying to make their way through the game industry?

For aspiring artists, I would recommend being avid followers of any artist that they respect through any of the portfolio sites or what have you, but also keeping in mind what types of games those artists work on.

If you want to work on some type of action-adventure game, you could be tailoring your portfolios towards the types of assets that developers would want to see and allowing studios to do a bit of comparison.

Take note of the quality levels of some of the assets and compare it to their work and when it starts to look kind of one-to-one, then it may be a good time to reach out to developers. Just ask for advice from those in the industry, and see if there are any sort of internships to start out with.

I think folks will find that a lot of developers are pretty open and eager to communicate. There are a lot more avenues to get into the industry these days than when I when I tried to get into the industry. I probably sent out like 200 emails to anybody who had an email address when I first started.

All it took was for just one person to say yes, so it was daunting. As hard as it may seem, trying to get into the industry, all it comes down to is just the right person opening the door.