There’s more than just an installer on Fallout 4 physical release for PC

For whatever reason, Konami decided that the physical release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain for PC should be nothing more than an installer.

So in spite of the team at Konami working day and night to get the PC version out with the consoles, PC gamers (especially in South Africa, land of the slow interwebs) were fairly annoyed they had to download the entire thing.

Fearing a trend, they got to questioning Pete Hines, VP of marketing and PR at Bethesda, asking whether we’d have to download the entire game or not.

As it turns out, we won’t.

@karlemannen ah. no, there is data on the disc.

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) October 15, 2015

@Dpl14 @karlemannen yes, though you will still have to download from Steam. The disc doesn't contain the entire game.

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) October 15, 2015

However, barring an eventual release to GOG.com, thereby removing the game’s DRM, Fallout 4 will require a connection to Steam if it’s to be both activated as well as allowed to download the final bit of data.

We’re just hoping that the data required for download, particularly here in South Africa, is reasonable.

Some of our best moments with Bethesda games is being able to discuss your very first encounters with your friends the day after its release, and that all goes to pot if you have to spend the first week of owning the game downloading it.

Fallout 4 after all, or at least the Xbox One version, is around 28GB reports ICXM. Take into consideration that it’s probably compressed to hell and back, and add in the space required for 4k textures on the PC release, and you’re probably looking at around 30GB game.

Steam reports 30GB exactly, so it’s hardly small.

For those who are curious about the need to download a part of the game, Hines narrowed everything down to one very simple factor, “piracy”.

@wleer72 PC requires activation on Steam. Console does not. Console ship on Blu-rays, PC ships on DVDs.

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) October 15, 2015

@wleer72 piracy

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) October 15, 2015

We’re not going to hate on Bethesda for trying to protect their assets; they’ve undoubtedly worked hard on Fallout 4, and it comes across in every demonstration we’re shown.

Besides, given Bethesda’s track record with their open world titles, Fallout 3 as the prime example, Fallout 4 is likely going to require a few patches, so you’re going to be downloading something no matter what.

Fallout 4 releases on November 10th for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

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