[Updated] Introducing NylonGate, Fallout 76's Collector's Edition Bag Debacle

Published: November 29, 2018 2:29 PM /

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fallout 76 hacking

Update: Migliaccio & Rathod LLP, the law firm that is investigating Bethesda on alleged deceptive trade practices, is now including the nylon bag issue in their case. They sent me via email:

I wanted to let you know that we have updated our initial investigation to now include complaints from purchasers of the Power Armor Edition. By now I’m sure you know that Bethesda made representations about its canvas bag and ultimately delivered a nylon one, which ran contrary to what folks were expecting or wanted.

Original Story: The problems with Fallout 76 are not restricted to the virtual world - the $200 Collector's Edition has failed to deliver on its promise of including a canvas bag.

The listing of the Collector's Edition - which sites like Amazon and BestBuy - originally included a canvas bag. Third-party listings like these still say it is clearly a canvas bag, but consumers were instead given a cheaply made nylon bag instead. Up until at least November 20th, even Bethesda's official store said the bag was canvas. Now, although the product image shows it canvas, the item description describes it as nylon.

One consumer posted his findings on Reddit and even contacted Bethesda's support to either get a refund or find out why, they received this puzzling response:

Hello,

We are sorry that you aren't happy with the bag. The bag shown in the media was a prototype and was too expensive to make.

We aren't planning on doing anything about it.

nylon bag
Courtesy of /r/flyingboat's Reddit post.

This led many to think the response was fake due to the peculiar and blunt wording. Bethesda's official Reddit account later responded to this Reddit thread by saying:

"The Bethesda Store's Support member is a temporary contract employee and not directly employed by Bethesda or Bethesda Game Studios. We apologize to the customer who took the time to reach out. The support response was incorrect and not in accordance with our conduct policy. Unfortunately, due to unavailability of materials, we had to switch to a nylon carrying case in the Fallout 76: Power Armor Edition. We hope this doesn’t prevent anyone from enjoying what we feel is one of our best collector’s editions."
Bethesda not only seemed to blame a contracted worker for the improper response but they also essentially reiterated what this worker said to the bag owner.

It doesn't end there. Bethesda plans on giving owners of the $200 Power Armor Edition due to the disappointment with the bag. After owners prove their purchase of the collector's edition, they are eligible for 500 in-game atoms. Players can gain atoms by doing simple early-game tasks like collecting caps, as well as completing daily and weekly in-game challenges, typically in a few hours of game time or by spending $5 in the microtransaction shop.

https://twitter.com/Fallout/status/1067981880597843968?s=09

Earlier this month we reported that some were dissatisfied with the Power Armor Edition's helmet quality. Reddit user Allta described it as smelling strongly of spray paint and the included voice changer and headlamp weren't working properly. Another Reddit user, osupgurl, stated that the paint job was poor, that there were scratches "unrelated to the design" on the helmet, and that the visor was so blurry it would be unsafe to walk around while wearing.

Whether Bethesda plans to do more regarding NylonGate is uncertain, but be sure to stay tuned to TechRaptor for any new details on the case.

If you want to read our thoughts on Fallout 76, check out the review here.

 

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


austin
| Staff Writer

Austin cut his teeth writing various  fan-fiction stories on the RuneScape forums when he was in elementary school. Later on, he developed a deep love for… More about Austin