CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fans of the video game series “Fallout” finally got their hands on the latest game in the franchise, “Fallout 76,” when it was released early Tuesday.
The series takes place in a timeline where much of the United States is destroyed by nuclear warfare. People survived the war by living in vaults and emerge into a world much different than what they had last seen.
Company Bethesda Softworks announced “Fallout 76” in May, with more information released the following month, including the game’s location.
The vault in the new game, Vault 76, is in West Virginia, giving players the opportunity to explore notable places including the state Capitol, Camden Park in Huntington and the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown.
Back in the real world, employees of the Southridge GameStop and customers were excited about the game’s release; a party to celebrate “Fallout 76” was held with merchandise and pizza for gamers laid out.
“I was glad they were actually making a game about West Virginia,” said Noah Crawford, a GameStop employee. “You don’t see nothing about West Virginia in media, especially in video games.”
Crawford, who dressed as a coal miner for the occasion, said he was able to play a beta version of the game last month.
“It looked beautiful,” he said. “I went to the Capitol, which I don’t advise doing early game because you can get killed pretty fast. It looks amazing.”
Brittany Whitt, of Madison, cosplayed as a Vault Dweller, someone who lived in the vault at the time of the nuclear war.
“I wanted to put in a nice West Virginia touch,” she said. “I have mining equipment on. It was all my grandfather’s. I have his helmet, his respirator, his mining belt with his name carved on the back and his mining boots.”
Whitt, a new fan of the “Fallout” games, says it is cool seeing her home state featured in a major title.
“I think they’ve done this very respectfully,” she said of Bethesda Softworks’ interpretation of the Mountain State. “Usually, it’s like wrong turn, toothless, inbred rednecks. And that’s not what we’re seeing in this game.”
Store employees told MetroNews Tuesday 600 copies of the game were pre-ordered, the most of any store in the United States.