Fallout 76’s “Atomic Shop”: Overpriced, false advertising, and possibly illegal?

After a brief fallout from Bethesda’s lazy Fallout 76 launch, canvas bag scandal, and an alleged legal lawsuit for not honoring refunds on the PC version, they may be in hot water once again.

Bethesda’s screw up this time around relates to Christmas-themed items in the Atomic Shop- the game’s microtransaction store that offers cosmetic items for purchase with real money. Players can buy stuff like Christmas emotes and Santa Claus costumes. The only problem comes when the community, especially on Reddit, starts noticing the prices on these items are just way too damn high.

Microtransactions should be “micro” as the name states. Not “macro.”

After all, Fallout 76 is a paid game, so players already have to shell in $60 to get a copy of the broken title.

Bethesda has been claiming that some items are discounted from their original sale price during the Christmas event, but the problem is that they were never sold at the regular price in the first place.

The game uses “Atoms” in place of real currency, with each Atom equivalent to 1 cent USD. Players can earn them from in-game quests, but as you progress, the Atoms you earn lowers to the point where it’ll take you day and night to grind out a minuscule amount. This is okay in a free game, but remember, Fallout 76 isn’t free.

They’ve updated the game several times, but it’s still far from perfect (or even playable).

Players on Reddit have begun noticing some of the items are priced as much as the game itself at some retailers now, which is just overpriced. Many players say that while it’s only cosmetics, such practices shouldn’t be supported or else Bethesda will just continue doing what they’re doing- hurting the community.

A popular item is a Power Armor recolor which costs a whopping $18 USD in the store. Redditors have begun sharing what else they can do with such a fine price:

$18 is a "micro"transaction? from Fallout

The thread is full of jokes, memes, and complaints. The irony is just off the charts.

Most of the players have begun to voice their concerns on Twitter:

And some are even accusing Bethesda of illegal business practices in some parts of the world. Others speculate that they raised prices in order to cover up the 500 “free” Atoms they gave out as recompensation for players who deserved them. They’re in very hot water right now.

With so much negativity and accusations regarding Bethesda and their $60 “early access” title, hopefully, they’ll get their act together soon enough.

Fallout 76 is currently available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. And if you look hard enough, you can find it for well below MSRP.