Fallout 76's Battle Royale mode is being shut down in September

The Fallout 76 battle royale mode Nuclear Winter is being sunset later this summer. 

In a blog post by Bethesda, it was announced that the experimental competitive mode would be going away this September to allow the team to refocus efforts elsewhere. 

The update explains: "When we first introduced Nuclear Winter, we were thrilled to watch so many players from our community, as well as many newcomers, dive headfirst into our take on the ruthless last-player-standing Battle Royale genre. Over time, however, we’ve seen the vast majority of players prefer to explore other aspects of the game."

The development team did acknowledge that it knows some players love Nuclear Winter and that the decision to stop production on it was not taking lightly. 

However, the team also hinted that those looking for PvP in Fallout 76 might not have too long to wait. They added: "We’re still working to provide methods of PVP combat for those who enjoy squaring off against other former Vault Dwellers, and a little later this year, we will release details on how we plan to offer players even more ways to play Fallout 76."

The post went on to outline that items available in Nuclear Winter would be finding their way into the broader Adventure mode. Power armor and weapon paints, outfits, C.A.M.P. objects will enter the general world pool and up for grabs for those who complete triumphs in Scorched Earth, Project Paradise, Encryptid, A Colossal Problem, and Hunt for the Treasure Hunter.

Bethesda's online Fallout game has had a rocky road up to this point, but the game has seemingly stabilised with a dedicated userbase enjoying the frequently updated game. There have been major improvements since its troubled start, including the Fallout 76 Wastelanders update which brought Fallout 3-style dialogue options to the game via the arrival of a suite of NPCs. 

However, for those who were invested in Nuclear Winter, this change will come as an obvious disappointment. Hopefully, whenever this other PvP mode drops, players who are looking for this aspect of Fallout 76 will be satiated. 

If you are just starting your journey into the wild nuclear landscape of Appalachia, you should check out our Fallout 76 guide to get yourself situated.