Ten years after the game’s release, a Fallout 4 developer is reversing this controversial decision to offer a voice to its protagonists, to the great dismay of some fans.
At a time when the boundaries between video games and cinema are more blurred than ever, the idea of a protagonist devoid of any words, once very popular, could undoubtedly seem more than outdated for many players. But not for RPG fans. On the contrary. If there’s one genre in which players like to be able to step into the shoes of their protagonist until the end, it’s this one. And the least we can say is that by breaking this tradition with Fallout 4Bethesda didn’t expect to divide fans so much.
Bethesda returns to this controversial choice for Fallout 4
Asked about this by GamesRadar+ on the occasion of the arrival of the second season of the Fallout series on Prime VideoEmil Pagliarulo, lead designer on Fallout 4, admitted that the studio did not think about making a choice “also controversial” by granting a background and above all a voice to the heroes of the game. « When Fallout 4 released in fall 2015, voiced protagonists were very common » he explained. “Actually, at the time, I don’t think there was a AAA game that didn’t have a voiced protagonist. ».
« So in a way it seemed like a way for us to keep up with the industry” he then remembered, before adding that it was “also a way to show the protagonist from different emotional angles, with dubbing with different nuances ». A rather logical choice, therefore, which nevertheless ended up causing debate among Fallout 4 players. « At the time it didn’t seem as controversial as it ended up becoming, because I think there are still a lot of choices one can make ».
Still, Bethesda was able to learn the necessary lessons, which explains why the studio finally decided to backtrack with Starfieldhis latest RPG. “In Starfield, we chose a silent protagonist because we understood that’s what people wanted” concluded Pagliarulo. “So we said, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s give the fans what they want’”. And even if, ten years later, this choice of Fallout 4 is still very much debated, fortunately this has not taken away from the success of the game, which still remains very popular today.
Source: GamesRadar+
