Fallout 76 earned itself a bad reputation as the worst title of the franchise upon its release in 2018. The post-apocalyptic RPG took controversial departures from the Fallout series formula, such as its multiplayer focus and lack of NPCs. In conjunction with glaring performance issues and bugs, these deviations caused an uproar among fans. Reviews declaring Fallout 76 a monotonous, uninspired, and buggy game were abundant. So much so that many believed Bethesda would abandon the game and move on to other promising projects.