Summary
Bethesda just released a new piece of officialFallout 76artwork and, much to the surprise of many gamers, it contains hidden references toFinal Fantasy 7, among other things. The iconic 90s JRPG isn’t typically associated with theFalloutfranchise, so seeing Bethesda make a subtle nod towards Square Enix’s hit role-playing title comes as a bit of a shock, especially considering this reference was made in something as unassuming as some new marketing material forFallout 76.
Fallout 76was the first multiplayer-focused title from Bethesda Game Studios, and it infamously hadone of the most disastrous game launchesof all time due to releasing in an incredibly poor state. Despite the immense backlash from fans and critics, Bethesda didn’t abandon the game. Instead, over the years since its 2018 release,Fallout 76was given major content updates in response to player feedback. This consistent support, combined with the success of theFalloutTV show, skyrocketedFallout 76to new levels of popularity, with Bethesda recently revealing that 20 million people had played the game so far. To commemorate the crossing of this threshold, the company released a special poster forFallout 76that’s filled to the brim with hidden details and cameos, including one referencing a classic video game.
As pointed out by the Reddit user Hadrian_x_Antinous in a post they made on the r/FFVIIRemake subreddit, the iconicFinal Fantasy 7characters Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough make a cameo appearance in Bethesda’s officialFallout 76celebration artwork. Due to how small all the vault dwellers in the poster are, it can be hard to spot them at first glance. If one looks closely, however, they’ll notice that the twoFF7protagonists are hidden away in the bottom left corner of the artwork, withCloud still wielding his iconic Buster Sword fromFinal Fantasy 7and Aerith being portrayed as a ghoul. These cameos are neat little details that fans of theFinal Fantasyfranchise will notice immediately.
Cloud and Aerith aren’t the only pop culture icons to be referenced in thisFallout 76artwork, though, as the poster is littered with a litany of other vault dwellers that bear striking resemblances to certain individuals. Some of the most notable cameos in Bethesda’s artwork includeDragon Ballcreator Akira Toriyama, Philip J. Fry fromFuturama, Shotaro Kaneda fromAkira, Q fromStar Trek, Furiosa fromMad Max, and even the man and woman from Grant Wood’s famous painting,American Gothic.
Bethesda Referencing Final Fantasy 7 in This Fallout 76 Poster is a Welcome Surprise
Even if the fanbases for the two series don’t have much overlap, it’s nice to see Bethesda recognize fellow RPG franchises likeFinal Fantasyin such an unexpected way. The decision to commemorate themajor successFallout 76has hadin recent months with this detailed, cameo-filled poster is one that will likely go down well with many gamers and fans of the franchise.
Fallout 76
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
