In early December 2025, Fallout 76 is poised to release one of its most substantial updates thus far. The Burning Springs update will expand Fallout 76‘s map with a new region on the western edge — the scorching desert of post-nuclear Ohio. In addition to the expected story content, side quests, POIs, and public events to partake in, Burning Springs is also introducing an all-new Bounty Hunting system. To obtain these bounties, players will meet face-to-face with The Ghoul from Amazon’s Fallout TV series, voiced by none other than Walton Goggins himself.
Game Rant recently visited Bethesda in New York City, where we sat down with production director Bill Acosta and creative director Jon Rush to discuss this momentous occasion for Fallout 76. They opened up about the team’s process in developing major Fallout 76 updates, how the new Bounty System adds replayability while enhancing the game’s social aspect, and how Burning Springs was inspired by Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Burning Springs is Inspired by Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas
Game Rant: What were the early conversations like for this Fallout 76 update? What kinds of things did you want to include or achieve when laying the foundation?
Rush: We’re always looking for opportunities in our big features to continue telling the story of Appalachia—and for players to tell more of their own stories through adventures with friends, new places they build, and so on. In Skyline Valley, which opened up to the south earlier, those qualities were really well received, so we wanted to bring that same sense of opportunity and story again.
That led us to the destroyed Point Pleasant bridge, which made a great gateway into this new world. It also gave us the unique opportunity to explore post-war Ohio, which hadn’t really been done before. It felt like a fun, barren wasteland—very reminiscent of Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
Acosta: Right. And Ohio has only been referenced four or five times across the whole series. One Brotherhood of Steel character in Atlas has parents from Ohio, but that’s about it. So this was an open space to be creative, build something new, and tell more of a story for the series—not just for 76.
Game Rant: You mentioned it’s inspired by the vibes of Fallout 3 and New Vegas. What does that mean to you?
Rush: It’s not just about the look, tone, and feel, but also who and what lives there. Raiders, creatures that desperately want to kill you—that kind of hostile environment. Those are the aspects I think of when I look back at Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Not so much the narrative style, but a solid foundation that feels familiar, and also a great home for our new feature, bounty hunting.
Game Rant: The update is also inspired by the Fallout TV series. Were there specific ways the show or other Fallout games guided your approach to Fallout 76?
Rush: Everyone working on this game is a huge Fallout fan. The stories crafted for the show have been inspirational in the sense that they encourage us to keep telling our own stories—it’s more Fallout for everyone.
Direct influence is limited, though. The big one is the Ghoul.
Game Rant: I wanted to ask about The Ghoul and Walton Goggins voicing him. How did that come to be?
Rush: We keep conversations open with the folks on the show. When we were working on a bounty hunting feature in a region that already felt like New Vegas or Fallout 3—and lined up with Season 1 of the show—it just kind of happened organically. Like, “What if the Ghoul was here?”
And honestly, I can’t think of anyone better to host this feature than the Ghoul, voiced by Walton Goggins. It’s amazing.
Game Rant: What were your goals for the bounty system in terms of gameplay and design?
Acosta: Quick engagement. You grab a grunt hunt, and suddenly you’re traveling across one to twenty points on the map. That means you’re unlocking new POIs, seeing the landscape, discovering Deathclaws, Raiders, Radscorpions—all while engaging with the environment quickly.
It also gives players more rewards, XP, and opportunities to party up with friends while exploring a massive new piece of the map.
Game Rant: I’m curious about the map itself. How did you approach designing this new region to distinguish it from the rest of Appalachia?
Rush: Each region of the 76 map is very distinct, almost like a theme park. Introducing an environment reminiscent of New Vegas or Fallout 3 filled a gap we didn’t quite have yet. It’s familiar but still different, and it fits into that “theme park” approach where there’s always something new to see and do.
Game Rant: Fan feedback has been a big influence on Fallout 76 over the years. Was there any specific feedback that guided development on Burning Springs?
Acosta: Not one specific thing—more like a combination of everything. Players give us constant feedback: new characters, combat rebalancing, perk adjustments, system tweaks. All of that rolls into each update.
So even if it’s not Burning Springs–specific, those systemic improvements are always happening. Public events, for example—players love them, so of course this update has them, and they’re as fun as Moonshine Jamboree, Eviction Notice, or Most Wanted.
Developing One of Fallout 76's Biggest Updates So Far
Game Rant: Beyond the main features, are there smaller aspects of Burning Springs you’re excited for fans to discover?
Rush: New fish, new local legends, a new shop, Starlight Drive-In, and two new public events—plus all the new head hunts. There’s a lot to explore.
Acosta: Yeah—Dino King mini-golf, Red Hogs as pets, Highway Town, Athens… so many new POIs. It’s one of the best regions we’ve put together.
Game Rant: Highway Town especially feels like a social hub. Was that intentional?
Acosta: Definitely. Between grunt hunts and head hunts, you naturally congregate in places like Last Resort and Highway Town. It makes it easier to see other players, join public teams, and party up. We’ve had gathering points before, but not a town like this—it’s a great addition.
Rush: Our game is very social. Players love interacting in events, so giving them a central place like Highway Town just made sense.
Game Rant: What are your design pillars when deciding what to include in a new Fallout 76 update?
Rush: First, we listen to all player feedback, then look at the broader strokes to decide on major features. As players ourselves, the main pillar is always: is it fun? Is it rewarding? Is there a reason to keep doing it?
Acosta: We always ask, “Why does this need to exist?” That helps us make sure explorers, adventurers, and builders are all being taken care of.
Game Rant: Did you experiment with any ideas during this update that didn’t work out?
Rush: Yes. Some features just don’t feel right in testing. If they’re not fun or don’t serve a purpose, we shelve them—sometimes for later.
Acosta: Exactly. Years ago, we tested four-star legendaries, but the menus and effects didn’t feel right. We cut it, then revisited when Cleaning Depths and raids gave us the right context.
Game Rant: What was the most difficult part of developing Burning Springs?
Rush: Getting bounty hunting right. It went through a lot of iterations—how to get grunt hunts, how to get head hunts, how they worked. Designers kept refining it based on feedback and testing. Now it’s solid, fun, and expandable.
Game Rant: When adding the Ghoul, did you need to coordinate deeply with Fallout lore?
Rush: The main goal was to avoid conflicting with the show’s lore, both now and in the future. So we don’t go into detail about why the Ghoul is in Highway Town—the important part is that he’s the Ghoul we know, hosting bounty hunting. If there’s a chance to expand his story later, we’ll discuss it.
Game Rant: What are you most excited for players to experience in Burning Springs?
Acosta: The story. There are moments and choices I don’t want to spoil, but players will be surprised by the depth.
Rush: Same here. Some of it, I just don’t want to give away yet.
Game Rant: Do you have any fond memories from working on this update?
Rush: For me, it was the voice recording sessions.
Acosta: For me, it was when we got the weather effects in. Seeing debris, sand, and events react to it really nailed the vibe. It was eye-opening.
Game Rant: Fallout 76 has changed so much over the years. What standout additions do you want to highlight for readers who may not realize how much has been added?
Rush: So much. Going all the way back—human NPCs, fishing, ghoul transformation, raids, daily ops, mutated daily ops. Each update is another chapter, and now there are hundreds of hours of content to experience. What I love most is that players can choose how they want to play and discover Appalachia.
Acosta: And we’ve also done a lot of combat and perk rebalancing. Even in the last patch, aim-down-sights feels much better—machine guns, automatics, all tuned. Thousands of weapon and armor forms have been updated. Now you can really build your character around the weapons you love.
Game Rant: Looking ahead, what are the team’s priorities for Fallout 76?
Rush: Continuing to tell the story of Appalachia, while enabling players to tell their own stories. That’s at the heart of every feature we create.
Acosta: Exactly.
Rush: Burning Springs launches early December. And players should tune into our holiday broadcast on October 23 for more.
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