Xbox fans have found a unique way to take revenge on Xbox boss Phil Spencer after yesterday’s shocking studio closures at Bethesda: they’re nuking his camp in Fallout 76.
Spotted by Sam_Snydes on Twitter, the Xbox boss’ camp (marked with his longtime ‘P3’ handle) sits at the centre of a bright red circle. Players can complete a lengthy series of quests in the game, granting them access to nuke launch sites around Appalachia. These sites can be activated and their nukes directed to specific spots on the map. It was one of several features that generated some fan consternation upon the game’s announcement. Fallout, of course, has always been stridently anti-nuke.
In this case, however, I think we’ve found its best possible use case.
The culprit was quickly identified, Twitter user real1090jake, who apparently bumped into Spencer in-game, based on the attached screenshots.
What’s more, it appears that this is not the first time this has happened, suggesting players are repeatedly nuking Spencer’s base.
There are a couple of ways to approach this. I suppose the first is to address the Fallout 76-ness of the situation. Fallout 76 is home to a famously friendly player base. You have to work pretty hard to bring their wrath down on you like this.
The second is that this is perhaps the most beautiful and stinging piece of in-game resistance I’ve seen in some time. The message is clear: you nuke studios we like, we nuke your stuff. And to do it in a game that’s undergoing a major critical reappraisal? Beautiful. I love it. Punk as fuck.
Will it make a difference? Will it change anything? Will it undo the damage that yesterday’s closure wreaked on so many developers now out of work or change Spencer’s mind? No. But it will make us all feel a little better, and it sends a nice signal to the affected devs about whose side the people are really on here.
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