Bethesda and the state of West Virginia have entered a partnership promoting tourism and Fallout 76. The Fallout 76 West Virginia partnership was announced today by the West Virginia tourism office. The tourism campaign will have promotional events, exclusive tours, and “Vault Boy” sightings around the state of West Virginia.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice gave his thoughts on the campaign.
“It’s finally time the rest of the world sees what a gem West Virginia is. For years, I’ve been saying we have it all: beautiful scenery, the best people you could ask for and more,” he said.
Fallout 76 was announced with a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — a song that has become an official anthem for West Virginians. Denver’s song gave the state it’s “almost Heaven” nickname, and the song became one of the most streamed songs on Spotify, and number one on iTunes, after the Fallout 76 reveal.
West Virginia Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby also talked about the deal.
“Our goal is to welcome and and every one of the game’s players to Almost Heaven. Bethesda has been a terrific partner since day one. They’ve really embraced West Virginia and its beauty,” she said.
Tourism is becoming one of the most important industries to West Virginia, as demand for the region’s coal lessens. The state’s partnership with Bethesda could bring thousands of Fallout fans to the state. There will be educational advertisements about the state’s history, landscape, and culture.
Fallout 76 is set in 2102, just 25 years after the Fallout series’ nuclear war. The first online Fallout game sees players rebuilding society in the early years of post-nuclear apocalypse Earth. The Fallout 76 West Virginia is roughly four times the size of 2015’s Fallout 4, and is around 15 square miles. Fallout 76 looks to scale the state down while keeping important landmarks such as the State Capitol, the Greenbrier, and other locations intact. Fallout 76 is releasing on November 14 for the PS4, Xbox One, and Windows. We got to play a bit of the game last week as we enjoyed it quite a bit.
