In April 2006, Fallout 76 publisher Bethesda Softworks introduced a controversial microtransaction into its then just released open world RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Specifically, horse armor, which gave players' Oblivion mounts a new look, was made available for purchase at a cost of $2.50. Indeed, some fans took serious issue with this price point, and Todd Howard, executive producer at Bethesda Games Studios, has now given further insight on the matter.

During a recent interview with IGN, the topic of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion horse armor was broached, and Howard was quite candid in relaying his thoughts on the topic, beginning with a rather blunt statement: "People will buy anything." Howard continued by acknowledging that this "does not mean that [they] should do it," and he closed the train of thought with a simple "that sounds terrible."

The Fallout 76 director then delved into more specifics on how the Oblivion horse armor ended up costing $2.50, prefacing this information with his opinion that the item's price point was the real issue, not the horse armor in and of itself. Namely, Howard indicated that Bethesda had a certain price for the horse armor in mind, but someone at Microsoft suggested that this price be raised because it was less than what the company was already charging for Xbox themes.

Bethesda complied, Oblivion horse armor released at a cost of $2.50, and the heated discussion around the microtransaction began. This discussion became so big that Bethesda even co-opted the controversy by, somewhat humorously, doubling the price of horse armor as an April Fool's joke for a number of years. Despite all of this, Howard indicated, in the conversation with IGN, that horse armor "sell a lot" and joked that it will put his kids through college.

Horse armor is not the only thing that Howard opened up about in this interview, and he revealed that Bethesda was aware of Fallout 76's issues prior to the game's launch. While this admission may serve to drum up more controversy, rather than quell current frustrations, it at least suggests that Bethesda is willing to be somewhat open about the problems that have plagued its multiplayer RPG since release.

Fallout 76 is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.