- Skyrim’s lead designer thinks a shorter production cycle will reduce the quality of Fallout and Elder Scrolls sequels.
- As per Bruce Nesmith, the titles will be full of bugs, and fans will be disappointed.
- Elder Scrolls 6 was announced in 2018, but isn’t expected to launch before 2030.
Even though 8 years have passed since its initial reveal, Elder Scrolls 6 is nowhere close to being finished. Bethesda has reiterated that most of the studio is working on the upcoming RPG. However, there are still many years left before fans get to play either Elder Scrolls 6 or Fallout 5.
A recent report highlighted a new strategy from Xbox to prevent such lengthy development cycles from recurring, allowing new Fallout and Elder Scrolls titles to launch more quickly. But, according to a lead developer on Skyrim, this may not be a good idea.
Why it matters: There is no doubt that AAA production cycles need to be shortened. However, compromising the quality of beloved IPs will backfire on studios rather than make fans happy.

While talking to FRVR in a new interview, Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith stated that Microsoft’s plan to accelerate Elder Scrolls and Fallout sequels may end up disappointing fans.
In my opinion, the biggest risks of shortened schedules is quality, reduced features, polish, or bugs. Those sequels risk disappointing fans.
The former Bethesda developer explained that a condensed production cycle means studios have to reduce features or increase resources. However, as resources are almost infinite at the studio, the shortened schedule will only lead to less polish, more bugs, and a lower quality product.
Nesmith admitted that players will get Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles much faster if this plan goes through. But fans will ultimately be disappointed by the lack of new features and the reduction in quality resulting from tight deadlines imposed on the developers.

Considering how Fallout 5 is set to launch around 2030, there is no denying that the reported strategy is something players would like. But with Bethesda planning to add 600 hours of content to the game and aiming to be more ambitious than ever, a shorter development cycle doesn’t align with the company’s ambition or what fans expect.
Do you think launching faster sequels for major IPs like Elder Scrolls is a good idea by compromising on quality? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.


