Is It An MMO? #11 — Fallout 76's Empty-Yet-Active World Provides Interesting Insight Into Further Defining This Genre

The characterization of a massively multiplayer online game, or MMO, is self-explanatory. Or is it? By definition, it means a large number of players on the same server — hundreds, thousands — and a big open world that continues to evolve. So does Fallout 76, the first-person, action-RPG by Bethesda that takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, get by?

In case you’re new here, yes, we are very well aware the game isn’t technically an MMO, but does it FEEL like one? For context, we have analyzed several other first-person multiplayer titles in the past that flirt with this genre. Destiny 2 is labeled as an MMO, yet fails to capture that MMO magic. Whereas ARK: Survival Evolved isn’t categorized as one, but feels like an MMO. The same goes for Sea of Thieves, and even Warframe (in some aspects).

Fallout 76 utilizes an instanced server design with a maximum of 24 players. The player count in the game is typically lower, since all 24 players will rarely be in the same area at the same time (unless during events, and even then it’s unlikely). Players have the freedom to play solo or with friends, and interacting with other players is not forced. However, they have the ability to impact the world around them if desired — players can build their own settlements anywhere on the map and destroy others’ housing, for example.

The sense of a populated world is therefore possible, but at the same time avoidable. Plenty of MMOs may be played alone from beginning to end, yet coming across other players during your adventures is still guaranteed and part of the experience. What’s disappointing about the "always-online" Fallout 76 however is the lack of clans or guilds, and dungeons or raids. The trading system is also pretty barebones, and there’s not even text chat available (only voice chat) — although emotes are a thing.

That being said, even though Fallout 76 fails to deliver the MMO experience on the multiplayer side of things, it does incorporate several features that the genre is known for. For example, the game has daily and weekly activities for players to participate in. Also, there’s loads of character customization available through weapons, armor, levels, crafting, and mutations to make each player seem unique. Additionally, Fallout 76 is known to be quite the grindfest, which MMOs are notorious for being.

But no, it’s not an MMO. Bethesda even said so. What I think is interesting about Fallout 76 though is that by design it is supposed to feel like one, yet at the same time not be one at all because players are in this dynamic, ever-changing world that’s desolate and barren. When you do come across another player in the game, that encounter feels special. And those experiences are part of what makes MMOs extraordinary. Fallout 76 may not deserve a place in the genre, however it’s worth considering as we continue to try to define what an MMO truly is.