Nuclear Winter, the battle royale game mode included with Fallout 76, will be discontinued in the near future.
Announced in a development update blog post, Bethesda confirmed that it is pulling the plug on the battle royale game mode due to lacking player engagement. The dwindling player numbers have resulted in matchmaking lobbies that take too long to fill, leading to frustration within the player base that's committed to the game mode. The developers have also struggled to meaningfully add to Nuclear Winter alongside updating the core game. The battle royale experience will be sunset in September.
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"We know that some of you are incredibly passionate about Nuclear Winter, and that you may find this news disappointing," reads the blog update. "Ending support for the mode was a difficult decision, and not one that we made lightly. We’re still working to provide methods of PVP combat for those who enjoy squaring off against other former Vault Dwellers, and a little later this year, we will release details on how we plan to offer players even more ways to play Fallout 76."
Nuclear Winter was added to Fallout 76 as the game's second major update in 2019. The game mode involves 52 players fighting to be the last Vault Dwelling standing. Players select their spawn point on the game's sprawling map before dropping in and scavenging for weapons and armor to help them survive and claim the title of Overseer of Vault 51.
Players who participated in Nuclear Winter will be compensated by Bethesda, "from those who only joined a single match to our most battle-hardened Overseers." Players will be reimbursed with Perk Coins based on their Overseer Rank and Overseer Tickets. All items that were exclusive to Nuclear Winter will be made available in Adventure Mode.
Developed by Bethesda Softworks, Fallout 76 is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Source: Bethesda