Of all the images that Bethesda could conjure, being backed against a wall seemed the least likely. You’d think that the studio behind The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, which has crossed 65 million sales, would come across as more secure. But after years of doubts from its most dedicated fans, the middling post-launch response to Starfield and recent layoffs that saw its most experienced talent leave, the studio seemed to have reached its lowest point.
So what better thing to do than go on the offensive and lay out all its cards, as desperate as it may come across to some? That’s exactly what this recent “note” to fans has done, and if you thought the 2018 announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6 was a doozy, you might want to sit down for this.
Fallout 5 in pre-production. Remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas confirmed. The Outer Worlds 2’s developer working on a new Fallout project. ZeniMax Online Studios working with Bethesda on The Elder Scrolls (while still delivering new Elder Scrolls Online content). No Fallout Day this year, but there will be a special 30th anniversary celebration next year when it returns live from Washington, D.C. And…an unscripted Fallout Shelter TV show? We’ll ignore that one for now.
The Elder Scrolls 6 still doesn’t have a release date after all these years, but it remains the primary focus, with most of Bethesda currently on it. So far, it’s “loving how it looks and playing it every day,” though that part about how “We’re where we planned to be” is certainly an odd thing to say. Maybe to try and address those reports about how layoffs will result in delays and crunch?
And Starfield…will continue (they even used that exact word). No expansion or DLC announcements (yet), but Bethesda is looking to deliver “new stories, targeted gameplay improvements, and additional updates.” There’s even new Starborn content coming next year. It also mentioned over 40 percent of players use Creations and that it paid out over $10 million in royalties (not necessarily all on Starfield, mind you). Bethesda has released entire questlines through the Creation Store – maybe this is the path forward rather than hyping up some DLC that ultimately won’t deliver.
Now on the one hand, this “roadmap” barely qualifies as such, because the biggest announcements lack dates. Do I expect anyone in charge at the studio to approve telling us that Fallout 3 Remastered is coming next year? And then someone in charge at Xbox approve that? No, and hell no. But this comes across as a repeat of The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement. “We’re working on these things, please be excited.” It’s only really one step away from being an email if you think about it.
However, I’m not begrudging Bethesda for taking this route for two main reasons. First, it’s just gone through a massive restructuring process while saying goodbye to the numerous colleagues it’s worked with through ZeniMax Online Studios or id Software. If ever there was an occasion to try and reassure fans, amid all the rumors and reports, that the games they want are coming, even if the studio isn’t 100 percent A-okay, then this would be it. To say that this is a complete 180 from the usual practice of unveiling a game before it’s six months away from release would be an understatement.
Second, this note feels like an indirect admission – almost saying the quiet part out loud – that it can’t just leave franchises dormant for years, sometimes a decade. It also can’t have a singular team, the so-called crème of the crop, being the ones responsible for new entries. Hearing that remasters of older Fallout games are in the works isn’t all that surprising. Not because of all the rumors, or the fact that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was a runaway success, but because a Fallout 3 Remaster was mentioned in Microsoft’s documents during its legal battle with the FCC years ago. We’ve known it’s coming in some form or fashion once all those other announcements turned out to be true (except for Dishonored 3 because we can’t have nice things).
What’s surprising is the confirmation that The Outer World 2’s developer is working on a new Fallout project together with Bethesda. Is this one of the remasters? A brand-new spin-off? Whatever the case, it’s hard not to think that Xbox finally stepped in and mandated that The Outer World 2 ‘s developer should give the people what they want. And if that isn’t New Vegas 2, then it’s going to be something Fallout-related, especially since The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed failed to really set the market on fire.
As for The Elder Scrolls Online team, it wouldn’t be surprising if future content is extremely pared down and it’s focused on supporting The Elder Scrolls 6. Because even if it hasn’t been working on the Creation Engine for all these years and needs to be brought up to speed, this is a team that’s been expanding Tamriel, developing new quests and characters at a regular pace for years. We don’t know how much has already been locked down for Bethesda’s big sequel, which could release in 2028 or 2029 if we’re lucky, but maybe this option is better than hiring contractors. Benefit of the doubt and all that.
However, you have to wonder whether having the same creatives in charge will be ultimately beneficial for Bethesda. I’m not going to complain too much about Todd Howard or Emil Pagliarulo – they’ve each had a key role in delivering some of the most iconic video games ever made. But their recent output – and by “recent,” I mean dating all the way back to Fallout 4 – hasn’t been up to snuff. The fact that Starfield had even less staying power, regardless of whether you like the game or not, is hard to deny. The fact that we’re only just getting around to remasters for Fallout 3 and New Vegas two years after the show premiered and primarily because of its success also shows a massive lack of foresight.
Maybe Howard is slowly planning to transition away from the same – he has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 is his last game as a director, so for all we know, this is all a foregone conclusion.
Even if you consider this strategy to be a new direction, it’s ultimately in vain if Bethesda keeps making the same mistakes. Designing the same poorly told stories with companions most players don’t care about against the backdrop of decisions that don’t matter. The time for fresh ideas is long past due, but at present, Bethesda needs to change how it’s developing its games. Can we consider this a step in that direction, even as it sticks to Creation Engine 3?
Whatever the result, unscripted Fallout Shelter TV announcement (which sounds like a reality show in disguise) aside, I’m interested in this new strategy. Because at the end of the day, whether it’s Xbox, shareholders or the players themselves, it’s the games that ultimately matter. As much as Todd Howard believes that the team needs to “get it right” with The Elder Scrolls 6, you can only spend so much time and money on that before nearly a decade has passed without anything – including gameplay or even a reveal of the setting – to show for it.
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