Bethesda and Blizzard should learn from how Square Enix fixed its Final Fantasy XIV problem

It’s any game publisher’s worst nightmare — you’ve announced or launched the latest version of your big franchise, and instead of widespread acclaim, your biggest fans are angry and disappointed. What should you do?

This is the challenge for Bethesda after Fallout 76 debuted to terrible player feedback, followed by harsh criticism for shipping its $200 Special Edition Power Armor Helmet with a nylon bag instead of the advertised canvas bag. Blizzard is also in hot water after announcing to a gathering of (mostly PC) fans at BlizzCon that the next iteration of the Diablo franchise would be exclusive to mobile — a premise so disappointing to the crowd that one fan asked if the announcement was a mistimed April Fool’s joke.