Source: http://kotaku.com/sounds-like-bethesdas-changing-things-up-after-fallout-1759943733



How do you get this? Please I hope they are not forgetting TES games.

Zenimax will not allow Bethesda to stop making one of the most lucrative game franchises on planet earth. That isn't going to happen. If Howard refuses to do it they will fire him and find a studio director who will. If Bethesda doesn't make it Zenimax will hand the project to a developer who will make it. There is no possibility that the Elder Scrolls series will stop with the release of Skyrim.

I hope that it's them working on a brand new ground up engine made for current spec PC's and the 8th gen consoles.

This should probably go in the community discussion forum, but yeah I'm very interested to see what these projects are.

Something being "different than anything we've done before" also doesn't necessarily mean a new IP. It could be a different approach to existing IPs.

Given that they sell well as they are now, do you think that Bethesda would radically change the formula of their two biggest franchises? Not trying to be a [censored], genuinely asking your opinion.

Part of the problem is... the word 'Different' is extremely vague. Does it mean Different IP wise? Design wise? Mechanic wise? Art wise? Genre wise?

It could be a TES RTS game. Or a episodic Fallout game. Or a Free to Play Micro transaction game (which are fantastic, FYI. I wouldn't mind if all games went FTP micro-transaction). The statement really doesn't tell us anything.

Lol, the man does know how to work us! Say a few vague words and now most of us are all foaming at the mouth for new info, without having been told anything! I agree with you, that statement could mean anything is possible.

New IP set in outer space. Grand strategy game. A Daggerfall-style procedurally generated sandbox, with modern tech. This is fascinating.

He's said they've got the Montreal studio working on mobile platforms, among other things - I think we will see a Creation 2 for their next game, but who knows.

I don't think Zenimax will fire Todd Howard if he decides to not do a new Elder Scrolls game. Right now they have ESO, which we all know might mean that TES VI isn't happening anytime soon (it's one of the big reasons why ESO gets hated on, by the way). Pete Hines has also pretty much stated that BGS' next game might not be TES VI. It has been continually denied (although somewhat vaguely) that Skyrim is the last singleplayer TES game that's ever going made, so there's that.

It would not surprise me if they don't do a new traditional TES game anytime in the next ten to fifteen years and when it is done, then it's possible it won't be directed by Todd Howard.

I wonder if the three projects are the "other fantasies," "period piece," and "modern-day setting" ideas that Todd Howard put out there in that interview from I think 2013? Somewhere in there would probably be Fallout 5, since they originally planned on making three of them (unless New Vegas counts). It is almost certain (not confirmed, of course, as it may still have the chance of being revealed as under development by another studio) at this point that Starfield might be one of these three projects Todd Howard teased, as that project doesn't have a single leak or rumor that I can find.

There is also the possibility of them doing a nautical-themed TES game as well, maybe TES VI being set in either the Iliac Bay with High Rock, Hammerfell and their islands (particularly Betony and Balfiera, and Stro M'Kai either in the main game or in DLC) fully featured or the ruins of Yokuda. That could constitute as different from past games they've done, and Todd Howard did say that he'd like to see Daggerfall and Sentinel in modern graphics, implying that both locations would be in the same game (though ESO probably qualifies ). Everything points to a new IP more than ever before, though, but it doesn't rule out TES VI forever in my opinion (even if it isn't made by BGS). A new TES game set in the whole Iliac Bay region would likely not be the next BGS game to be finished and released if it's something that's actually happening.

I'm still not going to keep my hopes up for a new TES RPG title being made anytime soon, though. If TES VI happens, it happens, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's as simple as that.

This is interesting. As technology advances, I wonder if we might see a TES VI that will focus on two provinces instead of just one.

My guess is full production on TES6, pre planning on Fallout 5. The third could either be a new genre such as RTS, set in the Fallout or TES universe or a new IP in the same style as TES/Fallout.

So we've got fantasy with TES, post-apoc/sci-fi with Fallout, I wonder what other genres Beth could explore. Outer Space/Sci-fi seems a popular choice on these forums. Horror? Mythology? Steampunk? All of these could be interesting.

Fallout is already steampunk.

Ahem, I think the correct term is "Atompunk". :b

Using steampunk tech to destroy Lovecraftian monsters invading Olympus! Bethesda can thank me later.

Read the foirst paragraph of Dark Master K's post in this thread again. Then read the initial post again.

This topic reminds me of the pre-Skyrim announce days or pre-Fallout 4 days. No info until very shortly before release, with rampant speculation in all directions for the series and whether or not they'll continue.

I would be very surrpised if there is not another TES coming up sometime the next years. Online is not only handled by another studio entirely, but also takes place long, long before any of the main series TES games, prior even to the founding of the Empire that has been a central setting point in all the main series TES games. What more is, ending the series with Skyrim would mean a lot of wasted setup, story wise. If they were going to end it, ending it with Oblivion would make a lot more sense, since it was the end of the Septim Dynasty. Ending it with Skyrim would mean ending it while we are still waiting for the big showdown, given their way of handling the Dominion and the Thalmor. On top of that, the Elder Scrolls series has only increased its sales with each release. Stopping with them now would not make a lot of sense financially speaking.

Of course, it is always possible that Skyrim was the last game in the main series. But I doubt it. If, for no other reason, because Skyrim made too much money. While maybe BGS won't do another, I'm with Pseron Wyrd when he says that that likely just means another studio will be contracted to do it. Or replace Howard with a director who will.

Good for Zenimax, they don't have to worry about the TES franchise stopping. ESO is still going with no signs of stopping, they have a card game coming, and I wouldn't be surprised to see mobile titles spring up. I highly doubt Zenimax cares whether its BGS pulling in the TES bucks or other studios. It svcks for us fans that only really care about the single-player series, but again, Zenimax doesn't care whether it's us giving them the TES money as long as someone does. Ultimately it comes down to whether the extra money they could get from people who only care about the single-player series would be worth how much it would cut into ESO, and whether the money they would put into a single-player TES could instead have a bigger return (with less of a cut into ESO) if it was put into something else.

As for the build-up with Skyrim being wasted if the single-player series doesn't continue, the MMO won't be like it is forever. If they're going to stop the single-player series, it's entirely possible for a sequel to the MMO to come along some years down the line and pick up where Skyrim left off. Think of Guild Wars 2, and how it jumps forward by a few centuries over the original Guild Wars. Along with the technological jump, it also allowed them to revamp the gameplay, the world, the races, the alliances, and do a whole new story with updated lore.

It could be an spin off like ESO is.

However I don't see Bethesda do other types of games, had been better to have another studio do an multiplayer shooter set in the fallout universe as an example.

That blizard don't want to do any more warcraft because of wow it their decision. It might even make sense.

WOW has lots of players many who might might jump to warcraft, more players earlier. Warcraft 4 would also be an competive multiplayer game who would compete with WOW.


ESO is not wow, we don't know how well it goes. My guess is that it makes an profit but its not an license to print money the way WOW was.

TES 6 is over two year in the future and its an single player game, it would also have no impact on ESO outside of stealing some players, not much diferent than Fallout 4 actualy, lots of player overlap however TES 6 would have more.

As Huleed points out, Zenimax has a card game in the works. Perhaps that's Todd's third project, not another open world IP. Either that, or he's decided to get into the sports end of gaming: Field Hockey or Professional Wrestling games.

I'd love to see a cross between an RPG and a civilization-builder, something where you gather a group of followers through conversations and quests, pick a spot for a village, and gradually build up your village into a town and eventually conquer or ally with the nearby towns and villages, using a mix of brute force, subtle persuasion, and economic pressure. You get combats (both personal and group), an economy to build up or exploit, a town builder, and a steaming cauldron of political intrigue, all in the same game. It shouldn't take more than 10-20 years to develop and program all of that......

I don't bite the "different than anything we’ve done before"... Todd is a PR man and his texts should be translated accordingly, is a thing I have learned all these years watching his speeches and interviews. In short: I bet 2 of the 3 "different" projects are TES 6 and Fallout 5, with new (and arguably "different") features indeed, one in very preliminary stages and one in production. The 3rd one may be indeed a new IP, especially if it's made by the new studio, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to be just a small project like Fallout Shelter, meant to hype their next big game like Fallout Shelter hyped Fallout 4 for a few months.

Yes! Minus the Olympus bit, I would like a game like that!

Think the card game is another studio, on the other hand Bethesda did fallout shelter who is outside their main area.

On the other hand that would be all about balance who is not Bethesda main strength.


Something combining the first person strategy aspects of Mount & Blade with an expanded building and settlement function would be cool.

In short you command an band up to company size in fights, you play in first or 3rd person like in TES, You select squads or groups who are pre selectd and can command them to various actions, aim at an hill and tell them to go to it or follow you.

Note that this would also fit well in TES 6 without any problems.


Their main problem is that everybody is waiting for TES 6 news, read comments on general gaming sites.

Anything they release will be judged by not being the perfect TES 6 they hoped for, so even if being an very good game like Fallout 4 will get hit hard for not being TES 6.

They might easy end up with the dragon age 2 effect with an good game in another franchise who is pretty unfair.

Dragon age 2 changed gameplay a lot as in dumbed down massively to appeal to an wider audience , their problem was that the fans of the excellent DA:O hated DA2 with an passion and scared players who might like DA2 away.