‘Fallout 76’: Bethesda Explains Why Radio Doesn’t Have a DJ

One of the smaller features of the Fallout games that so many love is the radio stations. Loading up those sweet, sweet tunes on the Pip-Boy are a glorious addition to the Wasteland experience and though Fallout 76 does have stations players can play, don’t expect Three Dog to make an appearance any time soon.

We recently had a chance to sit down with the team at Bethesda during a special demo for the upcoming online adventure and when we asked about the notable absence of a DJ’s hilarious puns from the game, the studio mentioned it wasn’t a simple oversight – that there was actually a much bigger reason.

What sets 76 apart from the other games in the franchise is that it is meant to provide a real-time experience. Bethesda wants players to feel that they were a survivor and that it’s up to them to survive. Because of that, the studio felt that by having a DJ the realism would have been broken a little bit. This is fresh out of the gate survival, a timeline that predates the previous games in the series. Music can be found but in a dog-eat-dog freshly radiated area, it just didn’t make since to have an already established DJ sitting in a radio booth.

Another reason they didn’t want to include this feature alongside the returning radio is that the entire premise revolves around no human NPCs. That’s not to say no NPCs at all, but all humans in the game are actual other players. Since they assumed no player was willing to step onto the 24/7 DJ gig, the role was left unfulfilled. They also know how players love to lock onto an objective:

“Let’s be honest here, if we put a DJ somewhere on the map,” began the project lead, “what’s everyone going to do? They’re going to kill them. That seemed inconsistent with our lore and the world we were building.”

So no, no DJs but for good reason! Though this is a different side of the Wasteland previously seen, it is still very much a Fallout experience albeit more social than ever before.

We have so much Fallout 76 coverage pouring in! To stay up to date on the latest news, check out our full community hub right here to stay in the know 24/7! As for the game itself, the next entry into the Fallout series debuts on November 14th on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.