Fallout 76 Collector's Edition Bag Change Frustrates Buyers [Update]

A change to one of the bonus items included in the Fallout 76 Collector's Edition has raised the ire of some fans, and Bethesda is apologizing for an apparent brusque response from its support team. However, it's still unclear whether Bethesda notified customers of the impending change to its expensive collector's edition before release. [Update: As an apology of sorts to buyers, Bethesda is now offering free in-game currency to those who purchased the Collector's Edition.]

The item in question is a tote bag that came in the $200 Collector's Edition. It had been advertised as a "Canvas West Tek Duffel Bag," but Reddit users noticed the canvas bag had been swapped for a nylon one. One Reddit user reached out and received a response from the Bethesda Gear Store support team, stating that the prototype bag was "too expensive to make" and that the company is "not planning on doing anything about it."

GameSpot reached out to confirm the support email, and received the following statement from Bethesda:

"We're investigating the response from the Bethesda Gear Store Support team and we apologize to the customer who took the time to reach out," it read. "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." [Update: The company is now offering free in-game currency to disappointed buyers.]

GameSpot followed up with an inquiry regarding when the change was made and whether customers had been notified, but has not received a response as of the time of writing. The official store listing currently shows nylon listed in the text, though the image still says canvas. On a cached version of the same page from November 20, a week after release, the text still read canvas as well.

Fallout 76 has received a middling reception from critics, including in GameSpot's review. "Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience," wrote critic Edmond Tran. "There are echoes of the series' admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you'll find no heart--just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again."

Bethesda has acknowledged some "frustrating issues" and promises patches for a long time to come. Some of the ones coming in the immediate future have already been detailed.