Ahead Of Release, Fallout 76 Partners With West Virginia's Tourism Department

The West Virginia Tourism Office has announced a partnership with Bethesda to promote Fallout 76, which is set in West Virginia (albeit a version of the state destroyed by nuclear war), and also encourage people to visit the state.

As part of the partnership, Bethesda and the Tourism Office will work together on new advertising campaigns that aim to suit the interests of both parties. The goal for West Virginia is to "educate players about West Virginia's unique landscape and culture," and get people to come visit and spend money, or potentially relocate there, while Bethesda gets to slap Fallout 76 on all the advertising materials.

"It's finally time the rest of the world sees what a gem West Virginia is," West Virginia governor Jim Justice said in a statement. "For years, I've been saying we have it all: beautiful scenery, the best people you could ask for, and more. And now, we get to share a piece of that with people all over the world through the unique lens of this video game."

West Virginia Tourism Office commissioner Chelsea Ruby said in her own statement that the announcement trailer for Fallout 76 depicted an "eerily beautiful post-apocalyptic West Virginia." She also lauded the trailer's use of the more "futuristic" cover of John Denver's classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads," which is one of West Virginia's official anthems.

Fallout 76 features numerous real-world locations from West Virginia, including the State Capitol, the New River Gorge, West Virginia University, Camden Park, The Greenbrier, Moundsville Penitentiary, Harpers Ferry, and the Hutte Swiss Restaurant. Some of the other locations featured in the game include the Cranberry Glades, Summersville Lake, Greenbrier Chapel, and the National Radio Astronomy Center.

Fallout 76 is set to launch on November 14 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A pre-order exclusive beta will be available in October for all platforms (though Xbox One owners get in first). The beta will include the entire game and progress carries forward to the full release.