Former Bethesda exec says he was also a victim of Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition's nylon tote bag gaffe
The former Senior Vice President of Bethesda Softworks recently made an unfiltered statement that reignited debate around one of the most infamous missteps in the company’s history, revolving around the Collector’s Edition Bundle for Fallout 76, also known as its Power Armor Edition, which featured a nylon tote bag as opposed to a promised canvas bag during earlier marketing runs.
Fallout 76’s Power Armor Edition caused outrage in the gaming community due to skimping on its promised Collector's Edition goodies with the game’s rocky launch on November 14, 2018, adding fuel to the fire.
For context, the Power Armor Edition, costing a premium $200, promised fans a wearable T-51 Power Armor Helmet, Fallout 76 in a steelbook case, a bobblehead figure, a few other goodies, and last but not least, a “premium” canvas bag.
Fallout fans who got their hands on the Power Armor Edition unboxed the contents only to find a flimsy nylon tote bag that fell short of the premium marketing images, which quickly sparked outrage and later turned into memes that dogged Bethesda for years amid the game’s broader complaints of being glitchy and empty.
In a candid interview with DBLTAP, 24-year Bethesda veteran Pete Hines called the Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition “probably the dumbest thing I ever did at Bethesda.” Hines stated he doesn’t have many regrets, but the Collector’s Edition still haunts him to this day.
Buyers were supposed to receive a canvas West Tek bag, but Bethesda changed the marketing materials on its website and claimed the change happened due to a surge in canvas prices, and offered a small amount of in-game currency as a token of apology. While the problem was eventually fixed, with players receiving what they were promised seven months later, Hines found out about the debacle when he received his own Collector’s Edition.
In the interview, he detailed his unboxing experience, stating:
“My first reaction was, ‘When the f**k did we add a canvas bag to this collector’s edition?’ Because the version I approved did not have one. They were trying to add more value to the Collector’s Edition.
We were always fighting with the finance people about margins, right? I would throw sh*t fits around. ‘We cannot charge $300 for this, it’s f***ing insulting.”
Hines further stated that there was, indeed, a canvas shortage at that time, and took the blame upon himself in the interview, adding:
“But in this case, their hearts were in the right place. There was literally a canvas shortage, and some folks decided we’re going to do this instead. My biggest failing there was not pushing immediately for making and sending one to everybody who wants one.
Because I was still annoyed that the damn thing was in there in the first place and nobody had told me, and that this canvas shortage happened.”
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