fallout-76-lands-bethesda-in-hot-water-with-us-law-firm
GamingNewsPC

Fallout 76 Lands Bethesda in Hot Water with US Law Firm

Fallout 76 will likely be remembered as one of the buggiest and most unplayable games at launch. And seeing as how the game was released by Bethesda, that’s really saying something. It’s no secret that the company has a history of releasing buggy games. However, it’s safe to say that the Fallout 76 situation is on a whole new level.

Not only was the game plagued by a plethora of technical issues at launch (and still is) but the general consensus is that Fallout 76 is basically a lazy and barely functioning re-skin of Fallout 4 with an online multiplayer component. And that’s not even mentioning the broken Beta, 56GB patch, and ludicrously priced microtransactions.

Bethesda’s shady business practices didn’t help the game either. In fact, these practices might have some unwanted consequences as now US law firm Migliaccio & Rathod LLP claims to be investigating the company after learning about its unusual refund policy. It’s not exactly an official investigation yet but might turn into one in the near future.

Money Down the Drain

Unsurprisingly, more than a few gamers tried to get their money back after Fallout 76’s disastrous launch. The situation was particularly dire on PC, which is pretty ironic given that Fallout started as a PC-only series. Regardless, many PC players who tried to get a refund were out of luck because of Bethesda’s policy. According to the company’s own Customer Support team, “customers who have downloaded the game are not eligible for a refund.”

Needless to say, most people would want to try out the game first before deciding if they want a refund. But apparently, simply downloading Fallout 76 prevents you from getting your money back. Whether you even booted up the game or not. This policy combined with the game’s abysmal state at launch prompted Migliaccio & Rathod to start looking into the matter more closely. A recent post on the firm’s blog reads as follows:

“Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is currently investigating Bethesda Game Studios for releasing a heavily-glitched game, Fallout 76, and refusing to issue refunds for PC purchasers of the game who found it to be unplayable because of its technical problems. While minor bugs and glitches are expected with the release of most new games, Fallout 76 launched with a 56GB patch that has proven to be but a starting point for the game’s problems.”

Bethesda is no Stranger to Lawsuits

Migliaccio & Rathod also urges Fallout 76 players who attempted to get a refund to get in touch with the firm. It’s not very likely that Bethesda or parent-company Zenimax will face any serious legal consequences because of this unless Migliaccio & Rathod decides to launch an actual class action lawsuit. At this time, the firm is simply trying to gather more information on the matter. So you probably shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for such a lawsuit. At least not just yet. But even if the firm does decide to launch a lawsuit, Bethesda’s vast experience in this area might give them the upper hand in a new legal battle.

Fallout 76 is currently priced at 33% off on Bethesda’s own store. If for some reason you want to experience Bethesda’s worst game in recent memory, now’s your chance.

Jason Moth
Latest posts by Jason Moth (see all)