Signs point at Fallout 76 getting Pay-to-Win Loot Boxes

Reddit users have discovered some evidence on Fallout 76 which suggests that Bethesda might be preparing controversial loot boxes for the game in the future. These lunchboxes, as they are called in the game, look to offer various benefits to the player, some even giving essential game advantages.

PCGamesN reports on the findings of Reddit user despotak who did extensive research into the latest updates and changes to game files. Among the many details despotak found were several lines about lunchboxes and how they were giving players potentially time-based advantages. Among these are boosters which grant the player increased the gained experience points rate, damage output, maximum carry capacity and rad resistance.

Now, these buffs wouldn’t normally be a topic of contention if they were items players can find in the game world. But what makes these look like microtransactions and pay-to-win loot boxes is that they all have a ATX prefix in their description. ATX are the microtransactions of Fallout 76 with the in-game currency Atom which can be purchased with real money.

There’s no official statement about this community discovery by Bethesda at this point, so despite evidence this is all only speculation and can turn out to be something entirely different. But for now, it certainly looks like Fallout 76 will receive lunchboxes that can be bought with real money and give players advantages against other players.

Microtransactions, loot boxes and pay-to-win mechanics have long become targets of vivid animosity by gamers. This culminated in the disastrous launch of Battlefront 2 last year which even prompted EA to redesign the game shortly after. Several other games removed microtransactions and loot boxes post-launch like Shadow of War with other games like Forza Horizon 4 forgoing them after having used them in previous entries.

With Fallout 76 not having enjoyed a favorable launch neither from review scores nor fans, it will be interesting to see if indeed Bethesda will implement such a controversial mechanic to their online game.