Bethesda Game Studios (BGS) found themselves in a bit of an awkward situation when an artist discovered his own work in the Fallout 76 Atomic Shop… because the studio never even contacted him!

The artist in question is Zack Finfrock, who created Fallout: Nuka Break. It’s a fan-made short film that you can watch below, and it features a former Vault resident searching the eastern ruins of California for an ice-cold Nuka Cola. Finfrock has featured Vault Boy, an iconic character in the franchise, in several memes that you can check out on his Twitter, and if you’re not familiar with him, you may still have come across his work.

Finfrock wrote on Twitter that he loves Fallout 76, and that someone on the game’s art team might feel the same way about his Fallout memes. He asked Jon Rush, the director of Fallout 76, who he should contact about his work being ripped off by the Flag Waving Bundle (celebrating the Fourth of July). He understands that he doesn’t own Vault Boy, but he doesn’t think there would have been any harm in BGS reaching out to Finfrock to make a newer, higher quality version of the item in the Atom Shop.

Finfrock’s tweet was followed shortly thereafter by a response from Rush. Finfrock exchanged private messages with Rush, and it turned out that there had been a minor mix-up with an outside vendor. Finfrock’s picture was then removed from the Atomic store and Rush apologized again for the matter. Rush then offered Finfrock a contract to work on content for a future patch. He would be responsible for the artwork for the message of the day, and Finfrock would also create the assets for the bundles. In response, Finfrock said the door was open, thanked him for sharing his first tweet, said he’d share more when he got the chance, and then jokingly asked if he’d become a shill.

That’s the best approach: a fan’s work could be made official, so the audience, the creator, and the developers all get a positive outcome: win-win-win.

Source: PCGamer