The Elder Scrolls Online has allowed Bethesda to take its time with the series
, by Thibaut
Since the release of Skyrim in 2011, fans of the series have been able to count on The Elder Scrolls Online to get their fix of epic adventures in Tamriel in the absence of a sixth installment. The MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios has, in fact, allowed Bethesda Game Studios (BGS) to turn its attention to other projects.
This was revealed by Kurt Kuhlmann, co-lead designer of Skyrim, during an interview with FRVR. He spent 20 years at BGS before leaving in September 2023, following the release of Starfield. According to him, The Elder Scrolls Online was used to fill a void.
"I do think ESO took the heat off… there was a new Elder Scrolls product and it was ongoing. It was creating new content constantly. There are a lot of people, I mean, I know the single-player people, I’m one of those people–but there are a lot of people to whom The Elder Scrolls is now ESO. That’s their experience with it. That’s what they love. That’s where they got their Elder Scrolls gaming experience, and that’s probably what they want more of."
Kuhlmann also explained that The Elder Scrolls has never had a spin-off developed by another studio because of what happened with Fallout: New Vegas at Obsidian Entertainment. Fans tended to pit Bethesda’s games against Obsidian’s to determine which developer produced the better work. Todd Howard, BGS’s creative director, didn’t want that situation to happen again.
Source: frvr.com