Fallout 76's most beloved CM pens heartwarming thank you to the community after being let go by Microsoft

As you might’ve heard, Microsoft laid off 1,900 staff from its gaming arm yesterday. One of the staffers affected by the cuts was Bethesda’s Devann "LadyDevann" McCarthy, a beloved Fallout 76 community manager who’s since written a thank you post to the community she played a big role in helping cultivate.

I probably don’t need to tell you that Microsoft’s decision to scatter an entire town’s worth of people to the wind marked yet another pretty depressing moment for a games industry that’s had far, far too many of those recently. It’s pretty difficult for us regular folks to process so many individuals all losing their livelihoods all at once, but I think some solace can be found in the outpourings of appreciation that a lot of those affected have been receiving.

One, but far from the only, noteworthy example of this has been Devann "LadyDevann" McCarthy, who became a very well-liked figure within the Fallout community during the years she spent serving as a community manager for Fallout 76, a game which has amassed a loyal fanbase despite its well-documented initial struggles. In a really nice thank you post addressed to the game’s reddit community, McCarthy has outlined how important the role she’s just been let go from has been to her, as well as the relationships she’s forged with players through it.

“This community has changed my life in so many ways,” she wrote, “You were never just part of my job, but my life. It’s been an honour to become so close to so many of you, and I consider many of the relationships I have in this community as close friendships.

“You’ve trusted me with assisting in proposals, spent late nights online with me running events, invited me to do voice over work in your projects and join your live streams.” LadyDevann also revealed: “One of the most devastating things [about] losing my job today is losing a folder I had on my work PC where I had screenshots of every kind message anyone has ever sent me.”

It’s well worth reading the entire post if you can spare the time, as well as taking a look at the array of really nice messages members of Fallout 76’s community have been leaving for McCarthy both in the post’s comments section and on Twitter.

If you’re interested in the really interesting work going on in the modding community around Bethesda’s games, you might also want to check out the event that it’s putting on next week.