Fallout 76 looks like it's chasing New Vegas vibes in its next big addon
In a teaser at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase, Bethesda revealed that Fallout 76's next Expedition will take vault dwellers on a vacation to the Atlantic City boardwalk. Bethesda only showed off a small slice of what Atlantic City has in store as part of a commemorative video celebrating Fallout 76 crossing the 15 million player mark, a figure likely helped a great deal by the game's addition to Xbox and PC Game Pass.
Atlantic City will be confined to the Expeditions game mode, repeatable PvE missions that see squads of four venture outside the game proper's ruined Appalachia. The screenshots released by Bethesda tease a dilapidated boardwalk & bustling casino floor, though Atlantic City's confinement to the Expeditions mode implies that features like casino & card games a la Fallout New Vegas are unlikely.
It's all very "We have New Vegas at home", with Atlantic City looking content to pull double duty as Post Apocalyptic America's runner-up gambling destination. This and Season 13's Golden Age of Hollywood aesthetic both seem to be fishing for some of that classic West Coast nostalgia. I also couldn't help but notice how the panning casino shots in the trailer show that the gamblers still use the old "sitting at slot machine with hands folded in lap" animation from thirteen years ago. Some things, just like war, never change.
There's no release date yet for Atlantic City, just a generalized "coming soon." The first Expedition, "Steel Reign," dropped quickly after its announcement in the summer of 2021, but "The Pitt" didn't arrive until September of 2022—I'd be surprised if we see Atlantic City before Starfield's release in September, or even by the end of the year.
Season 13 is also launching with a werewolf themed public event, "Once in a Blue Moon", which remixes some daily ops and features a new quest with the tantalizing promise of "new cryptids". Presumably you will be asked to murder these noble creatures and be rewarded with their skin to adorn your in-game avatar.
It's good to see that Fallout 76 is still going to see support even as Bethesda is counting down to the Starfield lift-off. Fallout 76 is currently still available on PC Game Pass if you're interested in dipping your toes in.