The long wait for The Elder Scrolls VI could have looked very different if Bethesda had followed the development path many of its developers expected after Fallout 4. Former Bethesda developer and Skyrim co-lead Kurt Kuhlmann has revealed that the studio anticipated moving directly to The Elder Scrolls VI, but Todd Howard ultimately pushed for Starfield instead.
Speaking with FRVR, Kuhlmann said Bethesda had an established pattern of alternating between Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.
“We all expected it to be directly after Fallout 4,”
he explained.
Todd Howard Pushed Bethesda Toward Starfield
According to Kuhlmann, Fallout 76 complicated Bethesda’s expected development cycle before Starfield became the studio’s next major project. He said Fallout 76 was not initially expected to involve the entire Bethesda team, but its development eventually expanded.
Kuhlmann then recalled the moment Howard informed the team that it would be making Starfield:
“No, we’re doing Starfield. I got that approved. It’s going to be a new IP.”
He said Howard presented the project as an ambitious attempt to create
“the greatest space RPG ever made.”
Kuhlmann also made clear that Starfield was not the project most developers were hoping to work on at the time.
“I would’ve much rather have been making TES 6 instead of 76 and Starfield, personally,”
he said, adding that he believed this sentiment was shared by a majority of the studio.
The comments provide additional context for why The Elder Scrolls VI has taken so long to reach release. Bethesda announced the game in 2018, but it remains without a release date or confirmed launch window. The studio has since confirmed that The Elder Scrolls VI is in active development, while Fallout 5 is planned to follow it.
