Bethesda are going the way of Electronic Arts, as it would seem. Their upcoming post-apocalyptic release: Fallout 76 has now been confirmed not to have a Steam release in plan. Instead, Bethesda will be offering the game via their proprietary Bethesda.net application.
Granted, signs have been pointing toward a move like that for some time now, what with Bethesda attempting to consolidate the modding scene and reorient it toward Bethesda.net instead of Steam Workshop, and other such schemes, but still.
The original beta announcement for Fallout 76 referred to Bethesda.net as well, though it is standard practice for developers/publishers to use their own channels for beta releases, bar Early Access. In any case, for Bethesda to jump ship from Steam completely is a brave move, to be sure.
Not only is a significant number of sales sure to be driven through Valve's platform alone, but this sort of push away from Steam might also alienate a significant portion of people who were already on the fence when it comes to purchasing Fallout 76, as it is a decidedly less than standard Fallout offering.
Granted, it may well be the case that Fallout 76 will get a Steam release about a year or so after it first comes out, as was the case with Fallout Shelter, but we'll see. It is worth noting that, should all go well, Bethesda intend for the beta release to transfer seamlessly into full release, savegames and all.
