Bethesda reportedly never pursued a Fallout: New Vegas-style spin-off for The Elder Scrolls, despite the long wait between major entries in the fantasy RPG series. According to former Bethesda developer and Skyrim loremaster Kurt Kuhlmann, the studio was concerned about giving another developer control over such an important franchise.
Kuhlmann discussed the subject during an interview with the FRVR podcast, reflecting on why Bethesda never brought in an outside studio to create a single-player Elder Scrolls game while fans waited for The Elder Scrolls 6.
Bethesda Wanted to Avoid Another New Vegas Debate
Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment rather than Bethesda Game Studios, creating years of debate among fans about which studio handled the franchise better. Kuhlmann suggested that Bethesda did not want a similar comparison surrounding The Elder Scrolls.
“There are the Obsidian, New Vegas people that think obviously New Vegas is way better,”
Kuhlmann said, describing the arguments that followed the game’s release.
According to the former loremaster, Bethesda director Todd Howard was particularly protective of The Elder Scrolls and likely did not want to recreate that situation with the fantasy franchise.
“Todd, from my time there, he is very protective of it,”
Kuhlmann explained.
Kuhlmann also believes The Elder Scrolls Online helped address the demand for new content while Bethesda worked on its next major single-player installment.
Rather than producing another traditional single-player RPG, Bethesda continued supporting The Elder Scrolls Online with regular updates and expansions. Kuhlmann argued that the MMO eventually became the primary Elder Scrolls experience for a significant portion of the fanbase.
“There are a lot of people to whom The Elder Scrolls is now ESO,”
he said during the FRVR podcast.
That approach allowed Bethesda to keep the franchise active without handing a major single-player project to another studio. However, the strategy has not eliminated demand for The Elder Scrolls 6, which remains one of Bethesda’s most anticipated projects.
Kuhlmann left Bethesda in 2023, meaning his comments reflect his experience during his time at the studio rather than its current internal strategy. Bethesda and Obsidian are now both part of Microsoft’s Xbox organization, while Obsidian has continued developing its own RPG projects.
The possibility of an outside Elder Scrolls spin-off could therefore change in the future, but Bethesda has yet to announce anything resembling Fallout: New Vegas for the series.
| Release Date | November 11, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Platforms | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Developer | Bethesda Game Studios |
| Director | Todd Howard |
| Writer / Narrative | Emil Pagliarulo, Brian Chapin, Kurt Kuhlmann |
