Fallout 76 is a game that has constantly been embroiled in controversy, from poor reviews (which Bethesda say they expected) to random banning of players to that ridiculous nylon bag. Another controversy arose not too long ago when Bethesda introduced Repair Kits as purchasable items in the in-game shop.
Though the items are obtainable in the game, the option of having them purchasable with real money as well rubbed several people the wrong way, who labeled it as pay-to-win microtransactions, something Bethesda had said Fallout 76 would not have.
According to Fallout 76 project lead Jeff Gardiner, however, the Repair Kits aren’t pay-to-win. Speaking with PC Gamer, Gardiner said that they were added as an option to skip grinding for those who wanted to do so, before arguing that except in PvP mode, Fallout 76 players are not really competing with each other, which means there are no pay-to-win applications (though the question does arise about whether that’s true in the game’s Survival Mode as well).
“We believed the repair kits were a convenience item for people who didn’t want to grind for adhesive and other things,” said Gardiner, “and it was just a way for them to basically shortcut game systems, definitely not pay-to-win.
“I will argue [with] anybody that [repair kits] makes you win at the game. First of all, you’re not really competing with one another, except for in PvP mode. We have all the information, how often people repair, what they repair, and again, you can repair in the game, it’s simply just a strict convenience thing. That’s my take on repair kits.”
Fallout 76 is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.