Fallout 76's Canvas Bag Controversy: An Admission of Mistake from Ex-Marketing VP Pete Hines
Pete Hines looks back at the Fallout 76 canvas bag debacle, labeling it as the biggest mistake during his time at Bethesda.
The infamous bag-gate incident occurred when the launch of Fallout 76 led to widespread backlash over the poor quality of the bags offered in its Power Armor Edition. Players who received the premiums were disappointed to find cheap nylon substitutes instead of the advertised canvas bags.
During a conversation with Dbltap, Pete Hines reflected on this moment in Bethesda’s history, describing how he was blindsided by the inclusion of the bags in the collector’s edition.
“My first reaction was, ‘When the frick did we add a canvas bag to this collector’s edition?’
Hines attributes the unfortunate addition to Bethesda’s efforts to enhance the value of the edition in light of financial constraints. He adds that communication among various departments, particularly in marketing and finance, fell short during the planning stages.
Despite attempts to explain the quality issues to customers, the phrase “the great canvas shortage of 2018” became a recurring joke among players.
Reflecting on his role, Hines admits:
“It’s probably the dumbest thing I ever did at Bethesda.”
(Translation: This may be the worst decision I made while at Bethesda.)
