Bethesda launched a new Fallout 76 game mode during E3 2019, giving its own take on the popular battle royale genre. The Nuclear Winter mode was called a "beta sneak peek," so the idea was that the test would be temporary. After a strong response to the free update, Bethesda has now extended it indefinitely, meaning the mode will be playable for the foreseeable future.
When first announced, it seemed Nuclear Winter would be a limited-time mode only available during the free trial period. But in an update on the Fallout 76 blog, the company says "the pre-beta sneak peek of Nuclear Winter will remain on and continue to receive updates."
The note also made a point to thank the fans for their enthusiasm in trying out the new mode.
"We've been blown away by the reactions and responses we’ve been seeing all week to Nuclear Winter. It has been so amazing to read all your experiences and see everything you’ve been sharing. There are so many incredible up-and-coming Overseers! Vault 51 is lucky."
Fallout 76 had a rocky launch, but Bethesda has been committed to maintaining it with regular updates. Todd Howard also opened up recently about its early struggles and what he would have done differently.
At E3, Bethesda also announced an upcoming expansion that will add human NPCs for the first time. There's still a special E3-themed bundle for sale as well through July 8, which lets you get extra in-game currency and some other bonuses for cheaper than the usual conversion rate.
