Fallout 76 Smashes Steam Player Record Amid Fallout TV Show Success
The success of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show has spilled over into the video games upon which it is based, boosting player numbers in even decades old titles.
Steam data tracker SteamDB reported that Bethesda’s Fallout games have collectively more than doubled their concurrent players on Steam with the release of the Fallout TV series. That’s for Fallout 4, released in November 2015, Fallout New Vegas, released in October 2010, and Fallout 76, released in April 2020. The boost is significant enough to propel Fallout 76 to a new peak concurrent players Steam record of 39,455 — four years after it came out.
Even the older, non-Bethesda developed Fallout games are enjoying a resurgence, albiet more modest. Fallout 2 has a new Steam concurrent peak of 1,062 players, achieved on April 14, and the first Fallout video game hit over 2,300 concurrents on the same day.
While Steam maker Valve makes player concurrents public, equivalent stats for games on console and PC are unavailable. But it seems safe to assume the Fallout games are enjoying a boost everywhere they are played, given the breakout success of the Fallout TV show.
Indeed, Fallout 4 is the top-selling video game on Steam by revenue, ahead of Counter-Strike 2 and Helldivers 2. Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition is fourth, Fallout 76 is fifth, and Fallout New Vegas is 11th. Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition is 14th. Fallout 76 is up a whopping 41 places in the chart.
Social media is littered with anecdotal reports of people who have finished the Fallout TV show and are now either jumping back into a Fallout game they already own, or buying one to experience more of the post-apocalyptic world.
Fallout has more than doubled its concurrent players on Steam with the release of the Fallout TV series. pic.twitter.com/eE0dQiYXQW
— SteamDB (@SteamDB) April 14, 2024
Bethesda was ready to capitalize on the expected renewed interest in all things Fallout with a number of promotions and sales across the series. It also announced a release date for the hotly anticipated next-gen update for Fallout 4, although that has had consequences for the equally hotly anticipated DLC-sized mod, Fallout London.
Elsewhere, we know Bethesda has Fallout 5 in its long-term schedule, but don’t expect that to come out for many years, given The Elder Scrolls 6 is next after Starfield and that itself isn’t due out until at least 2018.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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