Not all players were onboard with the developers’ creative vision.
Players have long voiced various grievances regarding Fallout 4. Among the most prominent criticisms were the simplified dialogue system and the controversial decision to feature a fully voiced protagonist.
In a recent conversation with GamesRadar+, Bethesda writer Emil Pagliarulo admitted that the team was blindsided by the negative reception to the voiced lead. At the time of development, a talking protagonist was considered the industry standard for AAA titles:
“When Fallout 4 launched in the fall of 2015, voiced protagonists were incredibly common. To be honest, I don’t think there was a single AAA game at the time that lacked one. In a way, we were keeping pace with the industry, and it also allowed us to portray the character with more emotional depth.”
The community’s feedback made it clear that players preferred a “silent” protagonist to facilitate better immersion and role-playing. Bethesda took this lesson to heart, returning to their roots for the development of Starfield:
“[…] in Starfield, we went back to a non-voiced protagonist because we realized that’s what our audience truly wants.”
Although Fallout 4 remains a subject of debate within the community, the game ultimately achieved massive commercial success and maintains a healthy player base to this day.
Source: iXBT.games