The Lost Fallout 3 DLC

Fallout 3 is hiding a dirty secret. A secret that has been hiding for years....until I made some shocking discoveries. Today, we're gonna deep dive to get to the bottom of this and solve it once and for all. Is this a developer secret? Cut content? Real or fake? Let's find out....Its gonna be hectic dude.
DISCLAIMER: I did not share the names and/or the voice clips of specific employees interviewed out of respect for their privacy as was expressed to me by said parties. The one audio file used is the first thing you will hear upon calling Zenimax's publicly listed contact information. It was an automated response with no specific identity or name attached to it.
Music (In order):
The Moon Theme- Paper Mario TTYD Soundtrack
Universal Commercial Tunes: Vol. 1 (Song: A New Brand) by: Steven Andolf
SciFi Vintage Radio by: Freedom Trail Studio
Grubba's Theme-Paper Mario TTYD Soundtrack
Martian Cowboy by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
"Lacrimosa, but it's even more beautiful" by: divrted
Desert Caravan by: Aaron Kenny
The Black Cat by: Aaron Kenny
Murder Mystery by: Sir Cubworth
Dark Mystery by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Air Prelude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
80s Cop Show by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Simian Segue- Donkey Kong Country OST (GBA Version)
Floating Home by: Brian Bolger
Black Mass by: Brian Bolger
Amazing Grace 2011 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
#fallout #fallout3 #fallout4 #fallout76 #falloutnewvegas #fallouttips #falloutmods #falloutsoundtrack #mothershipzeta #dlc #mystery #deepdive #theory #solved #falloutlore #easteregg #videogame #videoessay #meme #falloutnewvegasupdate #mods

[@defaultcheesecake]

After this video getting some traction, I've had lots of leads regarding this sent my way. I posted an update on my twitter in light of some new evidence surfacing. Thank you to everyone that has shared their findings!

[@joshuatealeaves]

Bro cheesecake pinned your comment

[@Lurch-Bot]

so we've finally devolved to the point where people wanna watch content on Video Game Conspiracies. The world is full of actual conspiracies. How about covering some of those.... Unless you install FO3 from an original DVD-ROM, and play on period hardware, you will never have an authentic experience, same as all those fools using DOSBox, thinking they're playing DOOM. Yeah, we weren't playing that at 300fps back in the day. I first played DOOM on a 386 where I got about 18fps. Today, you have deluded idiots saying if you don't play at 300fps you aren't a gamer. Yeah, actually, those people are just imagining things because no human can see flicker at 300fps. Or much above 120fps even if you have exceptional vision. What is foar more important is consistency of frame pacing, which the people playing Fortnite unlocked do not have. It will wildly fluctuate between around 150 and 300 fps, with frametimes all over the map. People just discovering FO4 in 2024 aren't really playing FO4. They're playing the monster it evolved into over the course of almost a decade. How is it you can post this but nobody is talking about how CDPR ruined Cyberpunk?!? Night City is a mostly lawless city where gangs and corps are more powerful than the police. But they turned it into GTAV, where you spend 80% of your time in a running gunbattle with NCPD where they will chase you to the edges of the map. Talk about spoiling the whole stew. I have no problem with going against the hype and saying GTAV is a piece of utter garbage and I am not at all looking forward to GTAVI, which will likely be even worse. That's coming from an OP GTA player. It has devolved into an online sandbox where people compete to see who can take the biggest dump on someone who is just minding their own busines. a scam where a relative minority of players spend through the nose trying to compete with a bunch of cheaters. It is a sign that humanity is on the verge of extincting itself. Don't even get me started on FO76. Thirst and hunger mechanics? Only a masochist actually wants that and it exists in fo76 purely as a means to force a P2W state. If that weren't bad enough, level 300 players are hard at work raw-dogging the noobs, which is the last thing you would want to do if you like it enough to play to level 300. Long standing players are actively working to ruin the game in some sort of juvenile chest beating contest. I had one of these clowns walk into my settlement, just waiting for the rest of the crew to show up, which is sad considering it isn't that hard to do the enclave mission that gives you control of the nukes. Since they were already wanted, I pretended to go about my usual business and then whipped out a 40mm and blasted that fucker to hell. Then I signed out and uninstalled the game because I realized it is the same BS as GTAV. I don't do online gaming anymore because entitled Zoomers ruined it. Back in the '00s, it was so easy to hack a game...and almost nobody did it because it destroys the fundamental purpose of online gaming. By definition, a 'game' is only a 'game' when all the participants follow the rules of the game. otherwise it is just a pathetic time-waste with the lowest common denominator of humanity. When you can't even get people to follow the rules in a COD tournament, you know online gaming is dead. IDC that Activision just did some token effort to deal with cheats. For starters, the website they targeted is still up and running. There is still no real anti-cheat built into the game. When you play Warzone 2.0 for the very first time and get taken out by someone who appears to you as just a disembodied pair of lower legs, you know they will never fix the problem. As someone who was there from the start, COD is so over.

[@rekall76]

great production quality, love your use of in-game footage to match your narration 😸

[@freekshow0011]

I have the case with card except my card doesn't have a scratch section on the back like shown in the video at 5:55, its a pull tab style; it is also redeemed back in 2009 and there is even a $14.99 price tag from EB games on the cover so it was never sealed. EDIT: i just looked on ebay and there are only 4 listed and 3 of them are in Canada, i am also in Canada. My guess is these were a Canadian only release which is why the rest of the world doesn't know of them.

[@SuperNutty1234]

​@@freekshow0011i bought mine in US from gamestop

[@droozlex]

So why would Bethesda make a physical case just to put a cardboard business card in it? Fallout 76 pc edition: they would

[@kozad86]

Yup. Loads of studios have been doing this since the mid-360 era. Cheaper to just use an existing case to stuff a card into than missing out on in-person sales.

[@boomdaddymaxwell]

Im surprised this wasnt cheekily referenced around the 13:30 mark

[@droozlex]

@@boomdaddymaxwell SAME

[@alisona.4166]

Hey, at least they made the cardboard into a game disc shape and fit on the disc holder, instead of the clips for manuals. It could even fit into your disc drive, you shouldn't put it into your disc drive but it fits in there!

[@error55o]

I have fallout 76 on PC and the code came in a dvd case on a round cd shaped cardboard insert but i do agree, the topic in hand seems fake

[@caroline1724]

-No disc of Mothership Zeta exists My pirated copy on a CD: Hello There.gif

[@PrzemyslawKarol]

i found that dlc on torrent ( in 2009 ) , and downloaded it. Later i have purchased Fallout 3 GOTY ( with Mothership zeta )

[@TheRealRusDaddy]

My dad burned me a copy of diablo 1 back when it was popular and i still have it

[@ineedapharmists]

Rap snitches telling all they business, end up in court being their own star witness

[@kyrusxi]

@@ineedapharmists"Do you see the perpetrator?" Yeah I'm right here

[@thetman0068]

Why would they waste the time, effort and money on a physical release of a card? Because that’s exactly what they did with Fallout 76…

[@defaultcheesecake]

A fair point and something I considered as well. I think it made more sense for Fallout 76 to have a physical release since it was an entirely new Fallout game and there likely would have been massive backlash if they hyped up the game, only to release it on a digital store or something. I think its more plausible that Bethesda would be more willing to skip a physical release of a single and final DLC for a game that's already been released months ago. Every source from Bethesda themselves that I located reinforces this sentiment. Could be wrong though, we'll have to wait and see what new evidence pops up.

[@null_and_void__]

When a launch fails so fucking hard the physical releases become digital releases

[@nicksande6880]

@@null_and_void__ here in germany they kinda threw the game at you in physical stores bundling it up with pretty much anything they could xd

[@KwikWon01]

Dude I grew up In New zealand, our internet was so shit that a bunch of things came physically. Because of that you'd also have physical releases for a digital product.

[@jimcalhoun361]

@@defaultcheesecake This explanation is a little problematic for me unless it is something that effects only XBox. I am a pc player and bought the first release of FO4 on its day of release and did get a physical copy. If you looked at the files on the disc the files were all there but all the disk actually did was act as the key for steam download. Since I live in a very rural area that had a very low download speed this was sub-optimal.

[@robbiemcneish4459]

Maybe the real Mothership Zeta physical release was the friends we made along the way

[@blakefrerking3350]

"You see, I learned something today."

[@ryangray5068]

The aliens that probed us along the way.

[@KorianHUN]

The real mothership zeta was the fan mod that added a huge wasteland changing story with fun characters and lore elements.

[@StinkyTits]

Wow never get tired seeing this comment over and over again 😒

[@KringleBerry]

Bethesda: Todd, what's the next DLC for Fallout 3? Todd: 👽👽🔫🔫

[@Coolouie]

Dnujjiejincfenuwdhiid jniwjfwjifjnfwnhif hinjefijnfeijn how many wijnwjind hhinwdhinwndi, wnduqnwud hbdwsjn jcnwjndnuqidmmit! - *Alien Captain*

[@TommyWitDaTone]

bogos binted?

[@Resident-of-Pluto]

@@TommyWitDaTone 👽👽👽

[@mariocollisionmaker]

​@@TommyWitDaTone Photos Printed?

[@tyronewifestealer2385]

🧔🧔🧔

[@PARTY_MUTT]

DLC is kind of mid tbh. Should've added Brahim armor instead $7.99

[@ectoerror8527]

Bro has the worst opinion known to man

[@PARTY_MUTT]

@@ectoerror8527 Cope. Spongey aliens and GRAY CORRIDORS. Brahim Armor DLC wouldve revolutionized the fallout sandbox and lore. 🐄🐄🐄

[@willr3891]

Should have been a rewrite of the main quest Jesus Christ

[@RawrStickers]

Sad thing is, this probably won't be a joke after the new Fallout comes out.

[@frossy365]

😭😭😭😭

[@SomaCruz500]

So, the thing is, these are mostly display cases. I had seen a couple in the local GameStop around the time of Fallout 3, but by the time I’d gotten into the game the GoTY was announced and I got that for Christmas. The real answer is that Bethesda created the slip displays and used the cases they had left over. Sometimes a GameStop employee would sell the DLC card in the case. Same thing with used games. If they didn’t have the case they’d give me the display. I got tons of extra cases and original cases that way for 360, PS2, PS3, GameCube and Wii games in case my originals broke. I will say I don’t remember any of them being sealed though, so that should be the primary concern. They were generic, pre-opened cases meant to sit on a shelf and be brought up to indicate what you want.

[@defaultcheesecake]

That's a legitimately insightful point thank you! But my question is, even if they only printed those slip covers and just shoved the card inside, those slip covers still had a bar code right? Wouldn't there be a bigger digital footprint of the barcode like the other DLC's beyond just secondary sellers if it was sold in a retail environment (i.e. Gamestop)? Just curious why it still would be so sparse with detail compared to all the concrete information we have on the releases of the other DLC's.

[@jacobjacksonsson9375]

@@defaultcheesecake i very vaguely remember this era and what would happen is the case was a display that gamestop made like they used to all the time to advertise things in their store. it was literally just a placeholder for an item they didnt want u to be able to steal. i.e. a redeemable card. theyd keep the cards in the register and youd pay for them by bringing the placeholder (the generic used game box with nothing in it and a usually generic gamestop printout art with game title) remember how theyd have the gamestop case art for games without the art (lost or nasty) it was like a cartoony dude with a fake gun etc but was gamestop branded. so gamestop 1000% had the setup to print art bethesda sent them and put it in generic cases, they also were bad asf about resealing used games back then and every store had a resealer machine in the back which is why some are probably showing up sealed im assuming they werent really supposed to give u the case if this is how this purchase worked and some of the workers in that era didnt care bc the cases were so common and they had to many. youd show it to them, they pull the card out of the register, scan it and give it to u. (like they do with modern games cards like roblox etc). most kids used the cards asap and threw them away bc the entire point of the purchase was the code for their game so thats why its probably rare asf) tl;dr in my opinion the cards are real and the physical cases are sanctioned fakes that a few game stops made for their stores independently to advertise the cards. some got out into the wild bc it didnt hurt anything and bethesda wouldn't have cared, if anything it would've helped them sell more. its just what gamestop used to do back then. youd have goals to meet to sell these cards or corporate would get onto you so they got super **creative** with how they would market things in store. not saying this is how they sold this particular card, but its how they sold many digital codes back then

[@gearoidoconnell5729]

​@defaultcheesecake Could be a bar code that only Gamestop uses. Mable checked GameStop's third-party controller if they also did not show up.

[@BouncingZeus]

​@defaultcheesecake I worked at gamestop around 2009, and the ad slips didn't have bar codes. We did have racks with code cards for dlc. They were very common for bigger releases like gta 4 dlc. People forget that people didn't like having a credit card online and or the cards make a better gift than a code on a receipt.

[@jacobjacksonsson9375]

@@BouncingZeus sounds like a game theory is coming together, we need to interview gamestop managers of that era. possibly one thats a youtuber (there are lots of og gamestop worker youtubers)

[@10007638]

Mothership Zeta taking place on a Boeing would be a real horror game.

[@chodrick1]

I purchased a physical copy of Mothership Zeta from my local Gamestop, and I can confirm it came with a card with a DLC code on the back. It was the first DLC I had bought for Fallout 3, so I assumed that was normal, but later on I would grab the other DLC packs, and they all had a Disc.

[@Datttsnake]

Do you still have it?

[@JDG-hq8gy]

Fr?

[@WerewolfEmerson]

Before you waste 15 minutes. There is no lost DLC, he is talking about Mothership Zeta and how it is the only Fallout 3 DLC not to get a physical DVD release like the others (The GOTY edition not withstanding). EDIT: To clarify, the video isn't bad per se. Its generally inoffensive, it just needs a way less clickbait title. 15 minutes to say "Mothership Zeta never got a release physically outside the GOTY-Disc, and I found these weird listings online of people selling them, what is up with that?" is a decent amount of time just beating around the bush for runtime. Either the video could have been a KZbin Short, or there needs to be way more meat to this story/rabbit hole to justify 15 whole minutes for a 10 second payoff.

[@nawtzs7792]

Thanks leaving now lol

[@heetheet75]

Yup, leaving too. Thank you person with the funny flag

[@anothernobody1804]

I salute to you too fren

[@MihanTheNoob]

THANK YOU SIR 🙏

[@hvn_gng]

Thank you funny flag dude

[@TheZackFox]

Oh wow, I had that box or one very similar to it. I bought it at a GameStop while my family and I were on a road trip. I was really disappointed when it was just a code in the box instead of a disc. Not sure if I still have it, but now I'm going to try to find it.

[@TheOfficialVexMeow]

thats bait

[@JungleKarmaPizzaKitchen]

@@TheOfficialVexMeow Gamestop commonly sold dlc in boxes like this back in the day.

[@thefancydoge8668]

I still can't believe they did that for f76

[@professorhaystacks6606]

@@JungleKarmaPizzaKitchen Oooh that's a good point. I don't recall them doing that back then, but then I wasn't really looking. I know they did that a few years ago for some things. What if the uniformity in the boxes is because it was one of those Gamestop mock-ups? They'd e-mail those around and the local employees would print 'em out. The barcode would be internal use only so it may not show up.

[@daron368]

My brother's friend's ex-girlfriend's ex-roomate's cousin bought a copy once! Played it all the time. Don't have it anymore but just trust me we did have it 10 years ago but I donated it to goodwill I think or something.

[@tides8464]

Cant believe you didnt mention the cutscene where the aliens start getting naked and covering themselves in melted butter and dancing all of the place, but it is your video so.😏

[@Johnathan-swift]

Hold on let me download F3

[@Idkbro274]

Im confused does this actually happened 🤨

[@anium_]

​@@Idkbro274yea :3

[@joshuatealeaves]

@@Idkbro274It’s not actually butter so I don’t know what OG is referring to. It’s a congruent goo substance known as Spicy Cinnamon. The aliens lather themselves & speak in Celtic tongue to upset the mongrels. You would have to play the dlc to understand. Highly recommend

[@thefancydoge8668]

Lmao

[@WilliamTrentgtrent9]

There actually was technically one physical release. And I had it. The game of the year edition of fallout 3 came with a physical install disc with all of the DLC‘s on it.

[@RichieRichOverdrive]

Yes, I had this one

[@harun5358]

You should have watched the whole video before commenting.

[@WilliamTrentgtrent9]

@@harun5358 it was a week ago but I’m pretty sure I did. I was a bit disappointed I didn’t see any mention of the bonus disc from the game of the year edition. What were you referring to? Was there something I missed?

[@SylasG]

@@WilliamTrentgtrent9he specifically mentions the GOTY disc at 3:18 in this video…

[@WilliamTrentgtrent9]

@@SylasG ahh missed that. I had re-watched it to try to make sure it wasn't mentioned. My mistake

[@Hurley210]

I purchased one of these at an EB games (maybe they rebranded to GameStop at that point?) in California at its release. I didn’t have internet access to my Xbox at this time and when I saw it was a card and not a disk I remember feeling super upset. I tried to return it but EB Games wouldn’t take back an opened code even though it wasn’t scratched off. It’s probably sitting in a box in my parents attic now, or long thrown in the trash. It’s absolutely real, and a source of emotional trauma from when I was 11.

[@drfoust1294]

I had a similar experience our internet at the time sucked so i was disappointed. We did managed to download it but it took a really long time

[@technocody9296]

Usually the game cover shows the label "required Internet connection"

[@DonVhanDude]

​@@technocody9296yeah, but in OP's defense, i didnt read shit like that when i was 11 lmfao

[@technocody9296]

@@DonVhanDude probably that's their intention to lure the poor customers with no Internet

[@benjaminpawloski8537]

I can second this! This was a primary reason my parents finally caved and got me Xbox Live! I still have the box at my parent's house.

[@Enforcingtbone]

This channel will explode. The effort in editing. As well as the commentary on each of these videos should pay off.

[@Vub.]

My thoughts exactly. I love random deep dive video game channels.

[@davidthoma8602]

I was around during the late 2000s and I remember vividly a lot of games being sold in physical boxes and just containing download codes. Back then the aesthetic of a physical box was still something many gamers wanted.

[@TheRealRusDaddy]

And people still thought it was stupid to not put the disk in a physical box then

[@ayachii69]

I actually still own the physical box for this DLC - if I recall correctly it either came with a card that had a redemption code, or a plain paper printout of the code on a receipt from gamestop or eb games

[@nicklemay8056]

I think the one loose end that i need tied up is, if it is fake, then why are there even multiple listings to begin with?

[@spoiledsalad1851]

Money…. -Mr. Krabs

[@thinsmcstash5352]

If you can make these and there selling for thousands why not make a bunch. in fact its probably much cheaper to do in bulk rather then just one

[@parkourguyyy]

because it would be weird if one person had dozens of them lol. could be the same seller with different accounts

[@daltongalloway]

Money laundering

[@IKingCaesar]

Fallout 3 and everything around it feels like a goddamn fever dream sometimes😭😭😭

[@RoachDogggJR]

Dont make games like they used to😢

[@danin900]

Including the awful story and worldbuilding.

[@chikinonfrydai]

@@danin900yeah you def didn’t play the game lol, the story could have been better fs, but the worldbuilding is top notch

[@danin900]

@@chikinonfrydai Absolutely. It's why there's no quests for settlements to find water in though supposedly there's a water crisis. People are thirsty, but they have time to do dumb roleplaying bullshit. 200 years later and there's not a single plant in sight outside of the one location that's also filled with weird hippies that are never attacked by Raiders, despite those same raiders literally being everywhere. The Brotherhood of Steel being knights in shining armor despite how desolate the Capital Wasteland is. The lack of any food sources at all in the wastes, which actually makes sense given the lack of rain, but people have apparently been scavenging 200 year old food...for 200 years. Amazing worldbuilding. You just like that ugly green filter and the feeling of desolation, which is fine. But Fallout 3 is kinda bad.

[@IKingCaesar]

@@danin900 I hope you can find happiness in your life some day! Things will get easier just keep at it

[@MississippiREDstar]

In 2008 I couldn’t use the landline and computer at the same time because it sounded like wall-e getting a sponge bath with sand paper

[@SjoerdvanGestel]

Microsoft sold M$ points in dvd cases with such cards in the early days of the 360. However, the case didn't have a place for a disc, but a special formed space for the card. I might still have it laying around somewhere.

[@CeejayGSPB]

Yeah, I remember that. Had one of theses for the first GTA 4 DLC.

[@TheZackFox]

Sent proof of my box via Twitter.

[@Skizze37]

And with a single message, this whole 15 minute video has been immediately debunked. Godbless

[@TheZackFox]

@@Skizze37 Not necessarily. While I have the box, I no longer have the card with the code nor the receipt of me buying it from GameStop. So you could doubt its authenticity. Though I don't know why I or someone else would go through the trouble of faking it, but people do strange things sometimes.

[@666dandark]

You wear glasses that’s reputable enough. Case closed.

[@Rost_a_Tost]

⁠@@666dandarkI OBJECT, THOSE GLASSES DON’T HAVE A PRESCRIPTION !!

[@kozad86]

@@Skizze37 Maybe, but if the codes actually worked, the cards were legit at least, even if the cases were possibly just for Gamestop.

[@djdjdijon]

You realise you could’ve brought the redeemed copy just to see if the code was legit Microsoft says if the code has been used or is incorrect and you should of tried trading it into game stop as it’ll still be in their system since they sold it

[@roflrex]

You can’t trade in DLC…

[@moriarty5755]

I love finding new channels with good longform content. Especially fallout related. Definitely an underrated channel.

[@SappyEuphoria]

If cheesecake got a lobotomy would they just take a bit of the whipped topping off?

[@DrKlezdoom]

I actually remember seeing this in GameStop when the DLC came out, but it was just a display that you'd bring to the register and they'd print the code on the receipt. You didn't get to keep the case, they'd just put it back on the shelf (or you'd just tell them at the register instead of bringing it up)

[@roflrex]

This isn’t true. DLC wasn’t printable on a receipt until 2010 with GameStop. This came out before that. I was a store manager at the time. These were only available to pre-orders.

[@shinto29]

I remember DLC being on a little card exactly like that in the 2000s/very early 2010s though, especially for Xbox 360. It is weird it doesn't appear on databases but I doubt it's illegitimate, just a very rare release, maybe even for a specific store in the US.

[@krissteinz1728]

They were also available at EB games in Canada at the time. I still got mine

[@thatguylego7667]

I found a two pack disk at a thrift store last month, at first I thought it was just fallout 3, but it was just the Pitt and operation anchorage. Never seen it before so I was stunned on first sight

[@Sarnarath]

Matthew Perry bought it

[@LoudSodaCaleb]

That’s why Bethesda offed him. He knew too much.

[@timdavis4852]

I remember this. My dad and I went to gamestop day of release for MZ. When they told us that it could only be bought online we were so confused. We also didn't have an internet hook up to the Xbox at the time, because that would have been over hundred feet of cat5(?) cable to run. So my dad ended up buying that little antenna that hooked up to the Xbox just so we could download and play it. My dad was an OG fan, and got me into the franchise in 2006, when I was 12. He had never made the jump to 3D, so he liked watching me play. Some of the few good memories I have growing up.

[@Jenner_IIC]

Solid arguments however I saw many "physical releases" that literally just had a booklet with Steam code, something like a single instruction sized slip, sometimes a faux paper disc with code printed on it so while still clearly fishy with all the other factors, it's not unreasonable to have a release like that.

[@spaceghostmiid]

yep, i bought destiny 2 as a physcial copy for pc and it was literally just a game code in a disc case.

[@sadJUICEbox]

Yep, that's how I got Half Life 2 and Counter Strike Source, big old pretty box with an instruction booklet and a steam code, The Orange Box was the same way.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That's largely what killed the market for buying physical releases. Even if it did have a disc, there was a decent chance that there'd be so many updates when you did go to install it, that it might as well have just been a code on a card.

[@victorkreig6089]

Lot of the times the box art and decision to have a physical was made before the dlc was finished and then higher ups(or the dlc got too big) and would decide ti make it a digital download but they already had all the box art printed and ready for release

[@revan3675]

I love mothership zeta even if it is more like a linear shooter, its different and its fun, nothing else in fallout is like it except maybe operation anchorage. lets be honest though did anyone actually hate fighting through the ship? It to me was just good old fallout in a new setting and it still fit into the world I think.

[@NyronGT]

10:39 Even box cover was censored? Wow you've got some rare example of a misprint.../s

[@christopherscott932]

Mothership Zeta was what transformed my playthrough into a mobile cremation simulator. The only event that came close to killing me after that dlc was the orbital strike on Prime nobody could stop my character

[@DubiousD]

Did you consider contacting microsoft at all? theyd have a more comprehensive archive of 360 distribution logistics, as well as the fact they would have needed to have made a roalty agreement with zenimax at whatever point in time

[@Captain.Kincayd]

the intro feels like an internet historian video, I loved it

[@dragonchris152]

So out of boredom I went looking on the wayback machine on gamestop and found them actually being sold. If Bethesada didn't make these themselves, gamestop might've just asked for box art to print and shoved the codes into extra dvd cases.

[@Roadbobek]

‪$5512 dollar Mothership Zeta card, who wants it?‬

[@Duffy997]

Tbh they did put cards in cases back in the day. I remember back when Microsoft Points were a thing you used to buy a physical box that had the card inside. However the inside of the box had a little holder for the card where the disc holder was and certainly wouldn't have just been stuck in the corner where the game manual usually goes.

[@joshuajames7034]

Being from that era the "Code Card in a DVD case" was actually quite common with some games especially on the latter end of the xbox 360 and ps3 life cycle. Physical copies had there appeal and collecting games to show off the stack of games to friends was actually kinda big then. Man I'm old....

[@zac7732]

It was most likely a promo game case that would appear in GameStop and stuff

[@LouisAndPillz]

Gamestop at the time had a ton of code cards in self-made cases for online-only DLCs. I think the idea was to offer a way to buy the DLCs without needing a credit card for kids. This could be that.

[@Minalkra]

ITT: A twenty-something trying to understand an era when he was a barely-conscious single-digit kid. Look, back in the day, downloading things via the internet wasn't RARE but it was an exception to a rule. BUYING things via the internet was the exception. You went to a physical store, looked through the crap they had and bought things that way. So when Bethy released a DLC for a game, to not have a physical component was going to be shocking, scary and most people older than 20 at the time wouldn't understand. Those 20-somethings are now 40-something or close to, keep that in mind. So while they were aiming for the halcyon heights of putting a credit card number into a website, they were realists. To get people to buy this thing, they thought they needed something. And an empty DVD case with a cardboard business card and a code was honestly a great way of bridging the past and future. I actually think I have something similar - not Mothership Zeta but some other game-case with a card in it. Can't be bothered to go look though.

[@minecraftkid50978]

When I was a kid this was my favorite DLC. Nowadays I don’t play it much but I really like it when I do. It’s a different feel

[@beanlegion8529]

I went back to look into your back catalogue of videos and omg I wish I’d found you sooner! I’m surprised your channel didn’t take off awhile ago, you make funny stuff. I’m glad you’re finally getting the traction you deserve!

[@DeadGothicRed]

The crazy thing was that this DLC gave a piece of lore in game that the Zetans started the great war. I have the DLC on my xbox account and thats fine by me.

[@Sarnarath]

I recently bought a Fallout 3 store display made of cardboard, it looks exactly like the game cover but as with this copy of Mothership Zeta there is almost nothing to be found about it online. How interesting that this game had so many limited edition promotional items.

[@justindoucette9242]

So weird I have a copy of the game with this version of mothership zeta, but not a cardboard cut out 🤨

[@MisterWiza]

If companies will release empty boxes with codes today, Bethesda probably did do it years ago

[@AskTorin]

This was a trip. Had me laughing at the Easy Pete Lyons bit

[@c97x]

To answer your question they sold them as singletons at gamestop. They just had the DLC image on a disk case with nothing in there, the dlc image was printed on the disk and they stopped doing it around oblivion horse armor.

[@Canipoly]

While I don't think the physical release is real the "DLC" being on the catalog number only for this dlc doesn't seem that strange to me, considering all the others were discs and this one is literally a dlc code

[@NullyBird]

The case's design and artwork being consistent, amongst so many independent listings, make it a 0 probability of being fake.

[@Daniel-cr2kz]

That case appears to be for people who pre-ordered the DLC. Possibly a way to get the codes shipped out in old stock cases to grant early access, but I can't say for sure. That can only be said if the code expiry day minus a few years is before the digital release. They should be good for years at a time, even if I don't recall how many exactly... Do you really think there's a conspiracy between that many sellers? If you want proof just buy any other DLC physically + the cheap zeta one from Canada and compare the print quality. If it's real, the colours should be close.

[@yubos98]

As a proud owner of Battlefield 3 Premium Edition DLC Bundle in form of a physical edition from way back in 2012: it's not unheard of to create box-art and manufacture physical cases for distribution while not including anything in the case aside from a download code, even way back when. The aforementioned case doesn't even contain a card of any kind, it just has a license code printed on a piece of paper and glued onto the inside unprotected by anything. So I'm not saying Zeta had a physical edition, all evidence goes against it, but it was a somewhat common practice to distribute digital content through physical boxes with download codes.

[@paulz04]

I know that WoW sold their game cards in DVD cases, so it wouldn't be surprising if they did the same for a short period

[@SeniorMuffinFace]

Technically even if the ebay version is real its not actually a "physical" copy. It just a code that redeems it on the online service, then downloads via the online service.

[@MildManneredBen]

Some publishers choose to have their DLC represented on a physical shelf in order to attract a certain consumer who may not browse a digital storefront. It could be parents whose kids are asking them to buy the DLC for their game, or people buying a gift for someone who likes the core game. It's basically just another way to try and sell the DLC for publishers who may have traditionally relied on brick-and-motor retail sales.

[@reellonely]

Irrelevant but I always thought the font used for Point Lookout was way goofy and not fitting. It really makes no sense but why the flint stones letters?

[@TJHistory]

I used to work at GameStop and reached out to my old Store Leader (who was working at the time). From what I understand - the DLC cards are real, but the cases were mostly displays, not meant to be sold. People who have them are pretty lucky, but they were not packaged together from what I understand.

[@Angel_V8]

Cheesecake "space may be the final frontier" Me Screaming "BUT ITS MADE IN A HOLLYWOOD BASEMENTTTTTTTT"

[@HenryBlackie]

I imagine if this was real you would be able to find a lot of posts (and possibly news articles) about people being upset after buying a box without a disc.

[@Nathan35077]

I love that DLC. It’s one of my favorites. I mean obviously it can’t compare to like far harbor… but I love it. I love space, aliens, the weapons, everything. I just wanted more.

[@JessPerezLordGold]

A full on box just for a card with a code on it seems pretty normal to me. I bought every DLC for GTA IV like that.

[@Rangure02]

I like how many people in the comments say they have a copy, but none have shown it publicly. That is, just make the video on youtube, we enter their channel and see it. It's that easy

[@DaneelGiskard-f8d]

I'll have to disagree about aliens not fitting in the fallout universe. With the whole shattered 1950s aesthetic, I thought of mothership zeta as a love letter to classic 50s Sci fi, which is part of what fallout is in general.

[@adamharrison4864]

Back in 2018, I picked up my preordered copy of Fallout: 76 from Gamestop, to find a stupid vault door cardboard cutout as the 'disk' in a case that only had the download code and a sticker. I want to go back to the days where having physical copies of games actually meant something.

[@LasekiTF2]

Throwing my comment in here I bought all 5 DLCs from gamestop as physical cases with cards that had rippable stubs on the back that revealed the code as they were coming out. I only have the cases for Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta still, but without the card in them unfortunately, but i can 100% guarantee Zeta was on a card in the case. I'll dig around and see if i have the card still somewhere, but i doubt it.

[@ruptakruptak439]

Unless this is a 15-minute joke amounting to "Ha ha I just wasted some of your time," then this video has no reason to exist. I kept thinking you'd talk about some missing content in an illusive physical copy of Fallout 3's DLC but, no... You're apparently just super interested in this niche corner of product marketing and distribution for...some f*cking reason

[@brad6817]

Another great video man your editing is top-notch. I would love to see video from you on all the different bolts and all the different lower of the games.

[@Rodger_Phillips]

I do not know about the USA/Canada, but here in Australia/New Zealand such cases and cards (often used by EA for the Sims 4) are produced locally buy authorized sellers to put items on the shelves, they sell at the same price as a disc, but the labels are printed locally and assembled locally for local sales. the authorised distributor will download the cover page, print them and insert them in the sleaves, they then print a code onto a slip or card, and package and seal it, one code per product. and then they retail at the same price EA sells them for on their e-Store. I prefer this way because at least we get something for the money we pay instead of a simple download code in the EA stores App. Plus clearance sales for the physical version still happens far better to pay $8 at a real store when all e sales are never more than 50% off however in the case of Mothership Zeta I do not think it ever came on physical media other than via GOTY Disc or G.O.G. store and after you've downloaded the offline installer and put it onto a Data Disc

[@mylunchablesarcold3927]

Pretty sure I remember getting all the DLC disks at gamestop for dirt cheap back in like 10-11, but honestly you can just buy a GOTY disk for 30 bucks nowadays

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Which is mostly for collectors. The GOTYE downloads are about $20.

[@RemitheDreamfox]

I love how deeply you went into something so niche, great video xD

[@AnthonyTartamella]

I have a copy of this sealed in box for Xbox. I was working at GameStop and someone wanted to trade it in. I told them they couldn't trade it in since it was dlc so they gave it to me. I kept it sealed. Pretty cool

[@-me-2317]

How much you want

[@AnthonyTartamella]

@@-me-2317 2k

[@AnthonyTartamella]

@@-me-2317 2k

[@ukihashopper]

DLCs on the Xbox 360 were released in this format more than once. The barcode is likely just a dumby/stand in barcode used by stores. This video is a major time waster, it's not 'fake', if it was, there would not have been many listings over years by different people. Bethesda sends out a bunch of DLC codes to retailers (including amazon where you would just get the code, you can still buy a very small amount of 360 games through them), and had a cover art if you wanted to put it on a shelf. By the looks of it, the codes were put on the shelves at retailers, they likely just used old case stock to do this, and placed the card inside. There is no grand mystery.

[@lowfn]

"Why would Bethesda spend the time, energy, and money to create a unique case just to shove a piece of cardboard in it to show a code?" They did it for Fallout 76

[@DrHotelMario]

Oh neat, I own the GOTY edition of Fallout 3 for PS3. Ironically, I distinctly remember playing Mothership Zeta during a period where I had no internet.

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

And then in 2010 Halo ODST released with a Halo 3 Multiplayer Map Pack disc

[@pcjpeh0f9wh]

I'm like 99% sure these things were GameStop exclusives, they used to get codes like these straight from the publisher, got marketing to whip up some art and a printing company to throw it all together in a cheap knockoff case sold for peanuts by the crate. Tons and tons of DLC were sold like this, I remember COD Zombies map packs filled the back shelf of my local store. Side note; there's actually a physical release of all five of the DLC that was released exclusively for Japanese PS3s called the Tsuika Contents Pack. There is literally nothing special about it, it's the equivalent of the second DLC disc from Xbox GOTY copies, except it requires you to have a copy of Fallout 3 to install it. I guess the Japanese market couldn't wait a few more months to get Zeta in the GOTY release or something.

[@scoutdy6547]

At best this case was made for GameStop to promote the game on shelves. I haven't been to a GameStop in years but when i was a kid i remember to promote preorders for a game, gamestop would put empty cases woth a promotional banner saying "PREORDER THE ANCIENT WASTES: ASYLUM 4 TO ACESS EXCLUSIVE DLC". The cases would have the cover art, sometimes different to the release woth the top saying what platforms it would be for and the back with a description. Maybe the card was a real thing? Idk.

[@jamesjamesjsmes909]

15mins i will never get back

[@Casavo]

I mean, they did this whole case thing with 76, and if i remember, my old copy of NV was just a case with a steam key card in it as well. I'll have to dig it out of storage to check, but yeah, this is a thing they did sometimes.

[@ethanblair7351]

Its A Similar Situation With The Lost And Damned It Got A Seperate Release But Was A Promotional Glorified Gift Card To Sell The Game Companys Do This To Promote The Digital Game And Sell New Consumers On The Product But Mass Produceing Thousands Of Disks For One Dlc Seemed Like A Waste Of Resources

[@stupidusernamestaken]

Love how much TTYD music you use in your videos

[@abyss9316]

I remember going to the game store and buying each of these knowing I would return in about an hour or two just to swap it out with the next DLC the game shop owner was super cool about it alas I never did keep any copies

[@BarrickMacready]

you sir have sold me, keep the jokes coming and just do what you love and you will build a steady following

[@BlazeIsBOSS]

dracula flow at the end was perfect

[@defaultcheesecake]

👽

[@nickdottcom]

Vorp?

[@Bob-fh4ht]

aeeaeuiiya aiiy aiiiya

[@yes2074]

Hey, just wondering if you got your photos printed?

[@JorArg-c7s]

aayy lmaaoo

[@alisona.4166]

@@yes2074 Bogos Binted 👽

[@bandagebuyer4738]

people have probably said it but the card was probably included in a pre-existing game case, similar to how flalout 4 goty came with a card for fallout 3

[@collver-]

The code in a box was how I played mothership zeta. Threw that shit away right afyer redeeming.

[@klaykid117]

I had one of those cards-in-a-box for Fallout 3 Point Lookout

[@ezg8448]

To this day they do still sell games with boxes, but only have a download code inside. The most recent I can think of this civilization 6 for the Nintendo Switch. It was $15 Canadian in Canada (obviously).

[@Itsme-dg9px]

Please keep making videos man! You're going to blow up

[@Aerix]

Wild theory with no evidence. What if a rogue retailer that was gamestop-like printed their own label for the cards maybe as theft prevention and just reused an empty case. Like gamecrazy or something.

[@xTooPalex]

The case actually had a nice rectangular slot for the card. In place of the disc holder.

[@OnterribleBlows]

I'm really glad youtube recommended me this video I really like your editing and humor

[@Hamjr193]

Mothership Zeta was the worst DLC I have ever had the pleasure of playing

[@super8bitvideos]

Not me owning the fake gamecase/cardboard box for this for years for no reason.

[@reverberation_9]

Yeeeeah right but you forgot to consider the existance of the Fallout 76 physical edition, which only contains a damn code for the thing

[@Some-Guy-Named-Dave]

Thank you for the Dracula Flow line at the end