Some Vault Boy fan art is purportedly featured in Fallout 76 without the creator's consent. However, it looks that the alleged transfer was performed accidentally, and the Fallout 76 team has apparently already taken action to fix it.

Bethesda's live-action role-playing game with a West Virginia setting often releases new artwork. Such artwork is typically added as part of the weekly Atomic Shop rotation, apart from seasonal material. It is most commonly linked to Fallout 76 item bundles and other in-game storefront listings.

According to reports, the Fallout 76 Flag Waving Bundle included unofficial Vault Boy artwork.

The Flag Waving Bundle was another such item that made its debut on 2nd July. The new item pack's contents gallery opened with, as is frequently the case, an illustration symbol featuring Fallout's Vault Boy mascot. With the exception that this specific piece of art was supposedly produced by someone named Zack Finfrock rather than Bethesda. That's according to Finfrock himself, who immediately after the Flag Waving Bundle's launch in the Atomic Shop came to Twitter to assert that the illustration was used without his consent.

The Icon of the Unofficial Atomic Shop Bundle has already been replaced by Bethesda

While acknowledging that he does not own the Vault Boy, the freelance artist said that if Bethesda had gotten in touch with him before utilising the image, he would have welcomed the chance to sketch a "newer, better version" of his flag-waving artwork. Finfrock's post included Fallout 76 Creative Director Jonathan Rush, who quickly apologised and said the move had been made accidentally. A screengrab of Rush's Twitter direct messages released by Finfrock elaborates on that point, saying that the image's inclusion was the result of a "mix up [sic] with an external vendor," adding that the developer was already in the process of changing the image.

According to Game Rant's review of the Fallout 76 Atomic Shop, the replacement was finished by 3 a.m. ET on 3rd July, since at that point the package was already utilising a crop of a screenshot from Bethesda's promotion. Finfrock took advantage of this misunderstanding to formally contribute to the live-service role-playing game by offering his skills to Bethesda, a move that was well received by Rush.

Finfrock will therefore create some artwork for upcoming Fallout 76 bundle assets as well as at least one daily message for the game. For the Los Angeles-based artist, who spent more than ten years creating unofficial Fallout works ranging from memes and various forms of art to a full-fledged web series called Fallout: Nuka Break, being able to contribute to the brand in an official role may be a dream come true.