Following the game’s underwhelming launch and a slew of controversies–be it the canvas bag fiasco or the security vulnerability that exposed users’ personal information–Bethesda has had a difficult time in terms of public relations.
Now, it seems that the brand may be facing yet another PR crisis, as some fans of the post-apocalyptic RPG series have expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that $80 bottles of the licensed Nuka Dark rum inspired by the games are packaged in plastic.
The Nuka Dark rum is being delivered in plastic shells matching the classic Nuka Cola bottles from the games, according to a report by Redditor and Fallout fan Sardonyx-LaClay. The plastic shells are used to house a simple glass bottle inside that contains the alcoholic liquor.
Hey Bethesda, I paid $80 for your special edition rum back in September, the least you could do is make the bottle glass. from gaming
Sardonyx-LaClay and other fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment with the beverage, claiming that the initial mock-up drawings for the drink caused them to assume that the final bottle containing the alcohol will be made of glass and take on the rocket-like form seen in the games.
The corporation Bethesda gave the license to produce Nuka Dark rum, Silver Screen Bottling Co. (SSBC), released a statement on its official website about the Fallout-inspired adult beverage in an attempt to reassure fans who ordered the adult beverage. “This is a project we are incredibly proud of, and we are sorry that you thought you were in some way misled,” writes Ryan McElveen, SSBC’s COO, Sommelier, and product specialist.
Many who purchased Nuka Dark and feel the Fallout-themed beverage isn’t up to par will fill out a form on Silver Screen Bottling Co.’s website’s “Questions About My Order” portion. “[Silver Screen Bottling Co.] will work to make things right,” McElveen says of those who approach the firm to express their dissatisfaction with their Nuka Dark order.
Taking all of this into account, it would be important to see if the Nuka Dark rum situation has any effect on people’s perceptions of the Fallout brand as a whole. Aside from the reaction of this particular marketing tie-up, it appears that Bethesda already has a lot of work to do in order to completely repair Fallout 76. So, for the sake of the business and the Fallout fan base, one can only hope that the online game’s next update will begin to put things right.
