Bethesda Under Investigation Over Fallout 76 Refund Policy On PC

A law firm has launched an investigation into Bethesda Game Studios over Fallout 76, and specifically its refund policy. The Washington D.C.-area law firm, Migliaccio & Rathod, said in a blog post that it’s launched an investigation into the developer for supposedly “refusing to issue refunds for PC purchasers of the game who found it to be unplayable because of its technical problems.” The law firm’s blog post calls Fallout 76 a “heavily glitched game.”

“While minor bugs and glitches are expected with the release of most new games, Fallout 76 launched with a 56GB patch that has proven to be but a starting point for the game’s problems,” the firm said. “Gamers who have tried to receive a refund because of the game’s myriad glitches have been unable to do so since they downloaded the game, leaving them to deal with an unplayable experience until patches bring it back to a playable state.”

If you’re attempted to get a refund for Fallout 76, the law firm wants you to reach out. You can find contact details and more information here on Migliaccio & Rathod’s website.

Many people on Reddit (via GI.biz) have reported that Bethesda acted quickly in responding to and completing their Fallout 76 refund requests. Not everyone has been so fortunate, however.

It’s important to note that Migliaccio & Rathod have not taken any legal action against Bethesda, and based on their public appeal for cases from the community, it sounds like very early days for whatever this amounts to. A search through the United States court systems shows no results for any legal action being taken against Bethesda over Fallout 76.

Nicholas Migliaccio, a partner at the firm, told Motherboard that they expect to draft a class-action lawsuit against Bethesda. “We’ve been inundated and we’re still investigating the claims, but we do intend to put together a class action lawsuit.”

The law firm said it had already received more than 200 phone calls and emails about Fallout 76. Another partner at the firm, Jason Rathod, added, “The vast majority of them are–‘I sought a refund and they’re not issuing one to me.’ The game is unplayable. We are inundated with those types of communications from people. I think people are just seeking to get their money back.”

In the same interview, Rathod pointed to Aliens: Colonial Marines as an example of a successful class-action lawsuit. As you may recall, players launched a class-action suit against publisher Sega and developer Gearbox, and in the end, Sega settled for $1.25 million, according to Polygon.

Another element at play for Fallout 76 is that the digital PC edition was released exclusively through Bethesda.net, and not Steam, a platform that has a generous refund policy. Bethesda’s own return policy states the following:

  • “Unopened CDs and DVDs can be returned under the guidelines of our General Returns Policy.”
  • “Digital Codes and opened CDs and DVDs cannot be returned under any circumstance. No exceptions to this policy unless where prohibited by law.”
  • “Please be very careful when purchasing video games at the Bethesda Store.”

We’ve contacted Bethesda in an attempt to get more details from their side.

GameSpot’s Fallout 76 review scored the game a 4/10. Reviewer Edmond Tran specifically called out the game’s numerous technical issues in his review. In other less-than-great news for Fallout 76 was the recent discovery that the promised canvas bag in the $200 Collector’s Edition was replaced with a nylon bag.

According to Bethesda, “millions” of people have played Fallout 76, so it appears to be successful by some measures. The developer plans to release new features, fixes, and changes for the game on a regular basis, beginning with the first major patch next week.

Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men Relaunch Keeps Getting Worse

Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men relaunch seems poised to go down as one of the great comic book-related disappointments of 2018. Even after three issues, the series has done little to rectify the problems that have been apparent from the beginning. There’s little sense of direction to the series beyond the rehashing of old tropes and a constantly revolving door of old characters making their return. It seems that the weekly format simply doesn’t suit the X-Men as well as it has Spider-Man and the Avengers in the past.

When Marvel first revealed that this initial ten-issue storyline would be titled “X-Men Disassembled,” the hope was that the execution would diverge a lot more from “Avengers Disassembled” than it actually has. This story follows the same basic pattern, with the X-Men facing overwhelming threats from all sides and a mysterious enemy working feverishly to bring the team to its knees. But for various reasons, none of the chaos and destruction carries much weight. The story never lingers on any one character long enough for the reader to form a strong connection. The best that can be said for the story is that it’s at least become more digestible since issue #1 now that it has a more straightforward, linear structure. But “digestible” is still a long way from “compelling.”

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Vikings Midseason Premiere Review

Warning: Full spoilers for Vikings’ Season 5 midseason premiere follow…

“The Revelation,” featuring Clive Standen’s Rollo return to the fold as Lagertha’s lovelorn opponent once again, is a good opener for the second half of Season 5, though most of it operates as a dry piece-mover, getting characters into proper position for the stories ahead.

Rollo’s arc, and his moments with Lagertha and Bjorn, are the heart of this chapter while the rest features acceptable aftermath-ish scenes, showing the consequences of Ivar’s conquering of Kattegat. Cliffhangers, like Floki’s yearn to sacrifice himself out in Iceland, are answered in short order (Helgi casts the deciding vote against the idea), while King Alfred (with Prince Aethelred as his attack dog) is briefly shown ruffling the feathers of his court by suggesting education be made available to all – while the realm’s under constant attack from Norsemen on all sides.

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Riverdale: What’s Next For Archie And Jughead After “Manhunter”

After breaking out of jail and hiding in a bunker, it didn’t take Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) long to realize Riverdale wasn’t big enough for both Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) and himself. Warning: The following contains spoilers for the November 28 episode of Riverdale, “Manhunter.”

So with his best friend Jughead (Cole Sprouse) in tow, Archie has broken things off with his girlfriend Veronica (Camila Mendes) and hit the road. Where the two friends will end up is anybody’s guess, but according to Sprouse and Apa, it’s going to make for a very different Riverdale in upcoming episodes.

“It’s really an Archie-Jughead narrative, which is kind of in rare supply,” Sprouse told GameSpot and other reporters during a visit to Riverdale‘s set. “So you get that for a good chunk of episodes. It’s really just Archie and Jughead for a little bit and it’s a lot of fun and they’re on the lam and they’re running away, kind of [like] Stand By Me. It’s really fun.”

He’s not wrong when pointing out that there are very few storylines centered on the friendship between Archie and Jughead. While they are the best of friends in comic books, the two are so heavily weighed down by the trials and tribulations in living in a horrible and dangerous town like Riverdale to have any time to be friends.

Now, with Riverdale in their rear-view, thanks to Hiram’s obsession with destroying this teenager, Archie can have an adventure with his buddy, wherever it may take them. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’ll last too long. Eventually, both will have to come back to Riverdale. As Apa tells it, though, they may not come home at the same time.

“Eventually, they end up finding themselves having to kind of — like the fork in the road,” he said. “They have to go their separate ways at some point.”

What breaks them up remains to be seen, but there’s plenty unraveling in Riverdale that’s going to need their attention. Betty (Lili Reinhart) is locked up in Sisters of Quiet Mercy, while her mom has run off to join a cult. The Gargoyle King is leaving a trailer of bodies because some people take Dungeons and Dragons too seriously, and Hiram is seemingly involved in every dastardly thing happening within city limits. Archie and Jughead can only ignore the atrocities literally happening in their backyard for so long.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET on The CW.

Nintendo to End Its Creators Program in December

Nintendo will be ending its Nintendo Creators Program (NCP) next month, so it can “make it easier for content creators to make and monetize videos that contain Nintendo game content.”

Announced on Twitter, Nintendo will no longer require content creators to submit their videos to the NCP and the creators will be able to monetize any video, as long as they follow Nintendo’s guidelines.

To make a long story short, as long as those who are creating videos or livestreaming with Nintendo Game Content include “creative input and commentary” and are not just re-posting gameplay, trailers, tournaments, etc., they will be able to monetize their work.

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Fallout: New Vegas Dev Revealing A New RPG Soon — And It’s Not A Mobile Game

We now now what one of the more than 10 game announcements coming at The Game Awards next week will be. Show organiser Geoff Keighley revealed today that Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Knights of the Old Republic 2, and Pillars of Eternity developer Obsidian will reveal its new role-playing game during the awards show.

As announced previously, the title will be published by Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive’s new indie publishing company Private Division. Microsoft recently acquired Obsidian, but the developer’s new game will still be published by Private Division. It remains to be seen how Microsoft may be involved.

The Obsidian website now features a pop-up that displays a number of interesting teasers. You can see them all below. According to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, the new game is being worked on by two Fallout 1’s designers, Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky.

Nothing else is known about Obsidian’s new RPG, but Keighley confirmed on Twitter that it is not a mobile game. Additionally, Obsidian already confirmed the game won’t have any microtransactions.

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Private Division is Take-Two’s new indie publishing label. In addition to Obsidian’s next RPG, the company is publishing Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Desilets’ Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, along with an unannounced RPG from former DICE developers David Goldfarb and Ben Cousins at their new studio The Outsiders. Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto’s unannounced sci-fi FPS at his studio V1 Interactive will also be published by Private Division.

The Game Awards 2018 take place on the evening of Thursday, December 6. One of the other reveals could be Alien: Blackout for console and PC, but that’s all we know so far.

On top of whatever games get announced, The Game Awards will also of course host actual awards. God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Celeste, Spider-Man, and Monster Hunter: World are all up for the highly coveted Game of the Year award. You can see a full rundown of categories and nominees here. Last year, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild won Game of the Year at The Game Awards.

Fortnite Streamer Showdown: Aphromoo vs ParkerGames

Streamer showdown continues!

This Thursday, November 29, at 4pm PT, 7pm ET Sydnee pits YouTuber and Disney XD host ParkerGames against professional League of Legends player Aphromoo in a battle on the Fortnite field. Why? Why not??

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As always, you can watch right here on the front page of IGN.com, or you can find us on YouTubeTwitch, and Mixer. And remember, if you’ve read this far, you get a *free bowl of soup.

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DC’s Heroes in Crisis Has a Gripping Flashback Chapter

Reading Heroes in Crisis has been a jarring experience, to say the least. The first two issues quietly killed off several major DC characters with zero fanfare. And as much as that speaks to the random, senseless nature of so many real-world cases of mass-murder, it’s still difficult to come to terms with these deaths. It’s probably just well that DC elected to roll a pair of planned tie-in issues into the main Heroes in Crisis miniseries. Issue #3 takes a step back and shines a light on some of the fallen heroes whom Sanctuary failed. In the process, readers are given crucial added context for the larger story being told.

Tom King remains the writer here, but apart from the two bookend pages, regular artist Clay Mann is replaced by guest artist Lee Weeks. It’s hard to be too upset about that switch-up when King and Weeks have proven themselves to be a fantastic team in their own right. Weeks’ art really gels with the pervasive tone of melancholy fueling Heroes in Crisis. Whereas Mann’s sleek figures and Tomeu Morey’s vivid colors in the main issues seem to create an ironic clash between visual tone and subject matter, Weeks really dives into the darker, moodier side of being a hero in the DCU. There’s an aching sadness and a poignant beauty to most of Weeks’ pages.

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Call Of Duty Movie Sequel Brings On A Writer Before First One Is Even Out

Activision is making multiple Call of Duty movies; the first one is being directed by Sicario 2 director Stefano Solima, and now we’re hearing the first word on the second one.

Variety reports that Activision Blizzard Studios, the video game publisher’s TV and movie division, has hired Black Panther writer Joe Robert Cole to pen the script. Activision Blizzard Studios has yet to officially announce Cole as the writer, and the company did not respond to GameSpot’s request for comment.

The first Call of Duty movie doesn’t have cast or a release date yet, but things can move fast (or very slowly) in Hollywood, so it’s not unreasonable or unprecedented for Activision Blizzard Studios to be moving forward already with a sequel.

There is no word for what the plot might be for any of the Call of Duty movies, but it sounds like they might be part of a Marvel-style cinematic universe with multiple connecting stories.

Stacey Sher and Nick van Dyk, co-presidents of in-house production team Activision Blizzard Studios, said in an interview that films based on Call of Duty sub-brands are currently in the works, while multiple scripts have already been written.

“We have plotted out many years,” Sher explained. “We put together this group of writers to talk about where we were going. There’ll be a film that feels more like Black Ops, the story behind the story. The Modern Warfare series looks at what it’s like to fight a war with the eyes of the world on you. And then maybe something that is more of a hybrid, where you are looking at private, covert operations, while a public operation is going on.”

“It’s going to have the same sort of high-adrenaline, high-energy aesthetic as the game, but it’s not a literal adaptation,” added van Dyk. “It’s a much more broad and inclusive, global in scope … a big, tentpole, Marvel-esque movie.”

What would you like to see from the Call of Duty movie? Let us know in the comments below!

Gears of War Movie Finds a New Writer

Reports indicate that the Gears of War movie has found a new writer, who has some experience with action films.

Per The Wrap, F. Scott Frazier, who previously wrote Collide, xXx: Return of Xander Cage and more, has been brought on to write Universal’s Gears of War adaptation. This news comes after last year’s report that the film would be written by Avatar 2 screenwriter Shane Salerno, who has apparently been replaced by Frazier.

The Gears of War film was announced back in 2016, though soon after reports indicated that it was still in “early days of exploration.” The film will be produced by Dylan Clark and Gears of War alumni Rod Fergusson, with Scott Stuber executive producing.

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