Fallout 76's design director is still defending its original absence of NPCs: 'At the beginning, we wanted it all to be player-driven'

Fallout 76 has enjoyed a massive turnaround since its launch in 2018. What initially seemed like a folly, stripping away so much of what made Fallout such a long-lasting, beloved series, has, over the years, transformed into a quality sandbox prequel. The big improvements really began with the Wastelanders update, which reintroduced an essential part of the RPG: NPCs.

It was such an obvious and immediate glow up that it still seems bonkers that this was absent at launch, with no indication it would change.