Threads
- Bethesda has been taking as long as decades to release new entries.
- Both of the last mainline entries in the Fallout and Elder Scrolls IPs are several years old at this point.
- The team should seek assistance from other developers to release new projects frequently.
- It should also consider remaking older games to make the wait between new entries less painful.
I have always been a huge fan of Bethesda Game Studios because of its work in the RPG genre. From major hits like Fallout 3 to The Elder Scrolls 5, this studio has been known for various genre-defining releases.
However, there’s one thing I dislike about the developer today. Bethesda is simply too slow at releasing games, and I want it to improve at putting games out more frequently. As far as I can tell, Bethesda has killed its own hype by leaving its franchises dormant for years.
While many studios milk their top franchises, Bethesda leaves them for years, not taking advantage of their success. The recent resurgence of the Fallout franchise is the prime example.
Why it matters: The gaming industry’s current direction means that development is taking longer for each new game. However, this has impacted studios like Bethesda more since they were already quite slow in prior generations.
Bethesda Wasted The Fallout Hype
Last month, we saw how the success of the Fallout TV show helped revive the old games in this franchise, but what everyone wanted was a new entry that could bring all the fans to one place.
The last mainline entry in the Fallout series was released nearly a decade ago. Fallout 4 came out in 2015, and a spin-off title, Fallout 76, was released three years later, and that, too, had a troublesome launch.
Since then, many fans, including myself, have been waiting to embark on another grand Fallout adventure. Nine years is a long time to let a franchise sit in this industry, even more so for an IP as successful as Fallout.
Fallout 4 sold over 25 million copies, and it sold even more units after the TV show’s release. However, at this rate, we won’t be getting another entry for 5-6 more years.
Nothing New For Elder Scrolls Fans, Either
The Elder Scrolls franchise finds itself in a similar situation.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim will likely be more than 15 years old by the time Bethesda wraps up development of The Elder Scrolls 6. However, it’s odd that a franchise that sold more than 60 million units for its last entry is not receiving more attention.
While The Elder Scrolls Online was released in 2014 and has been a successful multiplayer offering from the series, it simply fails to scratch the itch of a completely single-player RPG experience from Bethesda.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development, and the project is now in a playable state. However, with work having begun only recently and Starfield still being supported, this RPG might not be coming anytime soon.
The CDPR Approach Would Be Best
In my opinion, Bethesda can take a page out of CDPR’s book.
Both studios take five or more years to release new games, but CDPR’s upcoming lineup for The Witcher franchise has confirmed that smaller partner studios are helming various projects.
For instance, the team has greenlit a remake of the original Witcher game. Meanwhile, another multiplayer project is being worked on at The Molasses Flood, while CDPR’s main team is working on The Witcher 4.
Imagine a world where Bethesda partners with Obsidian Entertainment for Fallout New Vegas 2, we get a Fallout 3 Remake, and The Elder Scrolls 6 arrives shortly after. This would be the best course of action to ensure a healthy fanbase for Bethesda’s two biggest IPs in the future.
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[News Reporter]
Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.
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