Summary
The popular modding platform, Nexus Mods, has faced significant strain on its servers recently due to a surge in demand driven by the popularity ofFallout 4andFallout: New Vegas. This surge in activity is attributed to the success of theFalloutseries on Amazon Prime, along with discounted game sales on platforms like Steam, GOG, and the upcoming launch ofFallout 4on Epic Games.
Fallout 4is a post-apocalyptic action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. Set in a retro-futuristic world devastated by nuclear war, players navigate a vast open world, undertake quests, engage in combat, and build settlements. On the other hand,Fallout: New Vegasis an installment developed by Obsidian Entertainment, known for its complex narrative, morally ambiguous choices, and focus on role-playing elements, set in theFalloutuniverse but with a different storyline and setting fromFallout 4. Both Fallout 4 andFallout: New Vegashave extensive modding communitiesthat enhance gameplay in interesting ways.
The impact of theFalloutAmazon Prime show’s popularitycan be seen in the download statistics provided by Nexus Mods.Fallout 4, which had fewer than 1.5 million downloads by April 9, experienced a rapid increase, reaching a peak of 7.4 million downloads by April 21. Similarly,Fallout: New Vegassaw a surge from fewer than 1 million downloads to 4.8 million downloads within the same timeframe. In a statement addressing the situation,Nexus Mods acknowledgedthe challenges faced by its users as the website’s performance has been degraded, particularly in terms of slow file download speeds. The team behind Nexus Mods emphasized their efforts to maintain the site’s functionality despite the overwhelming demand, noting that they have been battling to ensure a smoother experience for users.
The charts shared by Nexus Mods illustrate these spikes in download activity, showcasingthe immense interest inFalloutgamesand the engagement of users in modding their gaming experiences. This surge has resulted in peaks of 24 million total file downloads per day on Nexus Mods, compared to the usual daily average of 10 million downloads. The site served over 6.3 petabytes (6,300 terabytes) of mods to users between Friday and Sunday alone.
Despite Nexus Mods' efforts to scale up and invest in their download infrastructure, they highlighted the challenges of meeting very large, short-term spikes in site traffic. According to the site, implementing fully scalable solutions for such spikes would be prohibitively expensive and unsustainable for the business.
Looking ahead, Nexus Mods anticipates another significant surge in traffic forFallout 4andNew Vegasmodsand pledges to do everything possible to ensure the site runs smoothly. The team plans to deploy extra resources where feasible and will closely monitor uptime and performance across their network. Despite the challenges, Nexus Mods expressed gratitude to their users for their patience and enthusiasm during this period of heightened activity.
Fallout 4
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, invite you to the ambitious open world of Fallout 4. Do whatever you want in a massive Commonwealth with hundreds of locations, characters and quests.As the sole survivor of Vault 111, only you may rebuild and determine the fate of the Wasteland. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone - the choices are yours.From a Power Armor-toting soldier to the charismatic smooth-talker, be whoever you want with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character system and develop your own playstyle from hundreds of Perks.Experience exciting first- or third-person combat with the dynamic Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S., targeting enemies for maximum tactical advantage (and cinematic carnage!) Collect, upgrade and build thousands of items with Fallout 4’s crafting system. Weapons, armor, food and with the right materials, even entire settlements are possible. Welcome home.
