We’re probably going to see Skyblivion and Skywind release before TES6…
When they first dropped the trailer, my coworker said it would be out within the year because “why would they show it if it wasn’t ready?”. I bet him $100 if it released by next summer, and $20 for me every year it didn’t release. I don’t work with him anymore and it wasn’t a fair bet anyway, but I always think fondly of that when TES6 release comes up
Just send it to collections.
Not really that surprising that we haven’t gotten much (if anything) new since. It was pretty clear that the trailer was basically just a statement of “we plan on this being a thing that exists at some point”. IIRC, we knew that it was extremely early in development and that Starfield would come first.
As a side note: I remember people theorising that it would be subtitled Redfall, since Bethesda had trademarked the name around the same time.
As a side note: I remember people theorising that it would be subtitled Redfall, since Bethesda had trademarked the name around the same time.
I also remember Todd later saying in an interview, after lot’s of speculation, that they had no idea yet for the game, basically debunking any speculation as just that.
I also thought the rumor was on trademarking “The Elder Scrolls: Redguard” or something along those lines, which is easily explained as that’s the name of an old spin-off from 1998 that they likely had to settle some stuff for. Timing spe ifically could be chance, or them figuring the announcement would bring more attention to the franchise. Besides, all game titles have been prime location. I think the word “Redfall” was a different rumour than the trademark one.
An old Twitter post suggested Highrock which also matched the trailers look. However, the next ESO chapter became Highrock and they never went back in a main game before, obviously ignoring Arena. So it may have just been about that. An apperantly leaked internal note spoke of project Greenwood, possibly setting it in Valenwood (second most rumoured place) but that is alleged.
In the end, Bethesda still has us talking and speculating, and has me writing 4 paragraphs, with just releasing one shitty 5 year old trailer. And that while, as I said at the start, pretty all rumours where debunked as “we don’t know yet”. Damn they got me. They still got me…
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Rock and a hard place. They were 7ish years from their last elder scrolls release, and knew they had at least 7 (probably) for the next one. Their poor planning caused it, but the fans were so loud that they had to do something.
And what an underwhelming something. Studio could have started work on ES6 shortly after Skyrim and had another amazing game out by now, but dawdled. They were at their peak, they could have doubled the number of teams and pumped out fallout and es every other year. But they wasted their opportunity.
Honestly with how shit Bethesda has been, and my low opinion of Skyrim compared to the earlier Elder Scrolls games, i’m not that excited. Like all AAA games nowadays its gonna be a buggy and unplayable mess. And once it gets fixed, people will realize it wasnt even a good game in the first place.
I came in on Oblivion and loved it. For as much of a mess as Skyrim was, I enjoyed it. I’ve found it very, very hard to go back and play Morrowind (or earlier games) as a newcomer without a pair nostalgia goggles. I agree, like all Bethesda releases, it will be a buggy mess. But I’m still looking forward to it. I just want another entry in the series to get lost in, but that’s probably just my depression and me looking back at more than a decade ago with my own nostalgia goggles.
I never cared for RPGs growing up but when KotOR came out when I was in college I was immediately hooked! My next serious dip into the RPG pool was Oblivion and I loved it!
Skyrim, for how much it improved on Oblivion didn’t capture me the same way. Despite it red-ringing my 360 the seemingly endless random dragon attacks made me outright quit the game. It wasn’t until last year I gave it another shot on XBone with the anniversary edition and even then it wasn’t as enthralling as everyone makes it out to be
KOTOR is one I’ve wanted to try, but worry it’ll be a Morrowind experience for me. I was excited to hear about the remake, but that seems like it could be in limbo at the moment.
Oblivion was far more vibrant and fantasical-feeling while out and exploring. Skyrim felt very dull and depressing, but that was also the vibe they were going for. I don’t fault anyone for not liking something. Hell, Witcher 3 should be right up my alley on paper, and I just didn’t end up enjoying it, even after giving it several hours at a friend’s recommendation.
The color palette in Oblivion alone is more vibrant and saturated than the one in Skyrim. Skyrim is a lot cooler (white balancing wise) and greyer in tone, making it feel a little drab compared to the lush greens of Cyrodiil.
At it’s release though, Oblivion was the prettiest in-game forest around.
For me, my issue with Skyrim was largely with mechanics. I like a little number-crunching in my RPGs, and trying out different builds. Skyrim just felt too… streamlined I guess. At this point I’m a little wary of games that advertise “play any way you want!” since it often feels more like “do whatever you want, none of your decisions matter”
Been in and out of the gaming community, so explain like I’m five; Do you think it is because the work they put into the Fallout franchise?
Fallout has also been an absolute mess for a while. Fallout 4 and 76 were terrible games, and I personally dislike the new direction of the Bethesda games.
I am so wary of their games now. I tried Fallout 4, even did their stupid app and it went no where for me. I even bought their billion dollar preorder and fanciness, so I could hate it. I let 76 run its course before even trying it; so I still haven’t played it.
I’m hoping they’re backing away from Elder Scrolls because of that. Make it right or just let us buy a thousand copies of Skyrim I guess.
I don’t think im qualified or knowledgeable enough to say why their games have been really bad, I can only give my opinion that they are. And because of that, I probably wont be coming back to buy their stuff.
Sheesh! I wasn’t holding my breath then. And I’m not holding it now. I played Oblivion in school. Skyrim right after college.
Now my hair is gray and il be 40 in a couple years.
I mean you got at least 5 remakes of Skyrim, what do you want
We’re probably still a few more special edition releases away from hearing a launch date
Bethesda really has no incentive to actually make TES6 so long as they have healthy subscribers for TES Online, I’m not surprised at all the game has likely been put on ice until the next generation.
Fortunately Starfield looks amazing and will hopefully fill that void for most of us who want a single player experience.
I don’t buy this. TES Online and actual TES games are so fundamentally different that they do not have the same audience. There are probably millions of people who will buy TES6 but have no interest in playing an MMORPG.
ESO’s story arcs, despite being within an MMORPG, can be played single player if one is feeling particularly antisocial. There’s a ton of story quests since the game has been out for a decade now that you could probably fit the entirety (content hours wise) of the Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim quest lines into it. Probably why the game is like 100 GB lol.
Of course, as an MMO, the storyline is constrained a bit (your choices functionally don’t really matter too much) since the game world can’t change drastically, so you won’t have an Imperial/Stormcloak type showdown that forever altered the landscape.
Still, ESO scratches the Morrowind itch, especially their latest Necrom expansion.
There’s also Tamriel Rebuilt (Morrowind mod) that also has Necrom, but I haven’t had a chance to check what they’ve done recently. (Last time I installed it, Firewatch was the farthest east they’ve gone but that was a long time ago).
Lots of MMOs work that way. I’m not talking about the fact that the game is multiplayer, I’m talking about the fact that the core gameplay does not offer the same unique experience currently only found in single player Bethesda games like Skyrim or Fallout 4.
That’s me! I used to play Guild Wars 2 for a while, but haven’t touched an MMORPG in years. Me and my wife like to play single player games together, currently really late to subnautica.
Bethesda really has no incentive to actually make TES6 so long as they have healthy subscribers for TES Online
Why would that be the case? ESO is neither made nor published by Bethesda, so it’s weird that they would refuse to make a game because of what another company is doing.
Zenimax is Bethesda’s parent company, sure, but it’s still another company.
Although for the record, ESO is still a pretty good single player experience. It’s not moddable which sucks, but the game generally lets you do 99% of its content solo without ever needing to interact with another player for any reason. Which is cool, since it’s mind bogglingly huge and the quests are generally interesting. If TES6 turns out to be even 1/10th the size of ESO, I’ll be pleasantly very surprised.
That was such a weird thing to do, considering that Starfield isnt even out yet.
My guess it that TES6 won’t be out for a good 6-7 years more.
Considering that for years Bethesda couldn’t fart without their fans asking “Where is ES6? Just let us know ES6 exists!”, I’m not too surprised. They rushed a teaser just to shut people up, but in the process set themselves up for years more of “Show us more ES6!”
Peak Bethesda for me was announcing Fallout 4 six months before release date. None of this 10+ years to build up hype that the game can’t live up to.
Honestly, the amount of time it takes AAA titles like this to launch is crazy. Buuut if that’s the price we pay for getting a finished, somewhat bug free experience, then so be it. I’d rather that that crunch leading to burnout and a product that gets rushed out to appease shareholders (stares in 2077).
Expecting a somewhat bug free experience from Bethesda… also, while games take long nowadays, 12 years isn’t a normal amount. Nor is announcing 5 years prior then never speaking of it again… Pretty sure we’re past the “modern games take a lot of time to develop” stage by now.
I highly doubt they’ve been working on it since Skyrim.
I highly doubt they’ve started working on it now.
They probably have some sort of pre production going on where there’s a few concept artists and writers worming on it but yeah I wouldn’t expect much more than that.
That’s true. Skyrim is like 4 editions in and still has bugs. I definitely don’t expect something flawless from Bethesda but I guess I’d still rather wait than it be horrible or put undue stress on the people working on it.
I would definitely agree that announcing it and then going radio silent isn’t the way to go. At least give some kind of update as to the progress.
I would agree, if that’s actually what’s happening.
However, looking at how the gaming industry does things… I think it’s more likely that it takes so long because the game has either been put on ice or they have a completely understaffed team working on it slowing, development to a crawl. And then, once the company suddenly decides they want to release it, they’re going to force crunch time, anyway.
I’d be very happy if my suspicions turn out wrong, but…
Yeah… I’m trying to remain somewhat optimistic but in all likelihood you’re right.
I’m not sure what to expect at this point. I would hope it’s very well polished. But it is Bethesda. So who knows. Haha.
It can’t be worse than FO76? Maybe?
…ugh. Thanks for that thought. I had completely forgotten about FO76.
… I’m starting to feel old. Was that really 5 years ago? The pandemic really screwed with my sense of time…
The Pandemic Years just feels like a singular lump of time, somehow feeling like infinity and a singularity at the same time.
For all the complaints over the years (from myself included), there are very few options for games like Elder Scrolls main games.
These kinds of games are extremly difficult to build. Skyrim still does things I haven’t seen any game other than Fallout 4 do since.
What things would that be? Im trying to think of something that hasnt been replicated / improved in another game, but I am drawing a blank personally.
One example: The way Bethesda games track an enormous number of physics enabled objects across their open worlds. I feel like most games in the last 10 years have made a point of simplifying their physics systems to a point of near-nonexistence.
Bethesda knows that when I dump 500 wheels of cheese on the floor of my house in Whiterun, I want it all to still be exactly where I left it when I come back 20 hours later.
Fair point. I can’t really think of any games that have done that, either. Interesting that there haven’t been more physics sandbox style open worlds, come to think of it…
The physics part isn’t even really that important, I think. It helps pile things up, but it’s not tantamount to what makes a Bethesda game.
It’s from a culmination of decisions that lead to it. To letting you pick up all these miscellaneous items. To saving where these items are stored. To letting you go anywhere you want to. And on top of all that, having a fully functional game working along side all that. It’s a freedom you don’t get in most other games. Sometimes people ask why it’s even necessary, I like to think Bethesda responds with: Why not?
Nobody else makes them because indies don’t have the resources to make them like Bethesda and AAA devs don’t have the luxury to invest in such a niche experimental and expensive genre.
good point. I still have daggers that refuse to stay in their display boxes and move around the house mysteriously, though 🙃
I prefer to suspect the radiant engine before Lydia or Ysolda (well, Serana maybe lol).
Valheim does a really great job with this. I think the closest I’ve seen in a game. The other part of this is that’s part of what makes their VR Ports so good.
500 Cheese wheels?!
[Sheogorath would like to know your location]
I would like to have it explained to me by someone au fait with GameDev as to what’s stopping a smaller studio going after something with the scope of Morrowind or Oblivion.
Bethesda are so blessed to have their own unique niche that’s so stupidly popular.
Just piles and piles and piles of work. Imagine all the trees, grass, rocks, terrain, buildings, props - and then character and creature models, animations, sounds, writing it goes on and on!
And the simulation complexity, which leads to an endless sea of bugs. Imitators typically just leave a lot of this out. But Bethesda knows that when the player dumps 500 wheels of cheese in their house in Whiterun, they better still be there and fully physics-enabled when the player comes back 20 hours later.
I just realised the other day, that with the common definition that retro is older than the last two generations, Skyrim’s original release is retro as it was a PS3 game originally…
Arena released in 1994.
Daggerfall 2 years later in 1996.
Morrowind in 2002, 6 years later.
Then Oblivion came in 2006, 4 years.
Skyrim was 2011, 5 years.
Now 12 years later, all we got is a 5 year old trailer and Todd once telling us they where still thinking aboht the setting.
Just let that sink in…Elder Scrolls Online must still be generating a decent amount of income.
But that’s made by Zenimax Online. Outside of Bethesda handing over lore to use, they have nothing to do with that…
Point is more about how long Todd has just sat there by now living of Skyrim’s fame and rereleases…
Not only is it 12 years later, but when the game does finally come out it’s going to be the usual Bethesda bugfest. And I’m sure that’ll be left to modders to patch, as is tradition.
But because it’s Bethesda, most people will eat it up.
Oh man. That just feels like yesterday. Still haven’t found any game that’s close to Skyrim. Only game I can think of that similar yet different in its own unique way that I absolutely love is Dragons Dogma. Can’t wait for Capcom to show more of DD2 on Monday!!
Yeah, it’s strange to think that even outside of Bethesda no one has really been able to come close to replicating the gaming experience you get with Skyrim. I still end up booting it up now and then when I’m in the mood because if I want that style of game that’s all there really is (not including Morrowind/Oblivion of course).
I agree. I will boot up the game once in a while to scratch that itch and then stop. I do the same with FO4 for some reason. I don’t know why but I am hoping they tease ES6 at the showcase. Extremely slim to none of a chance
I thought Kingdom Come: Deliverance came pretty close to delivering that “Bethesda-style” immersive RPG experience.
Interesting. Never really tried that game. Does it have fantasy elements and magic?
There’s a variety of drinks and ingredients which behave like Elder Scrolls’ alchemy system, but there’s no spell-slinging or fantasy monsters. The setting is a semi-historical portrayal of medieval Bohemia.
I can’t return to Skyrim after Elden Ring. I know it’s not quite the same, being 3rd person for instance, but the fantasy is just so much more fantastical and the action really good.
Talk about jumping the gun with that announcement. I’ll honestly be a bit surprised if we see the game this decade.
It’s the same situation as with Metroid Prime 4. It’s more to just confirm people that “yes we will make it at some point so stop f*ing asking. Buy Skyrim for the 5th time while you wait”
I think that’s something a lot of people don’t understand even now. For me, it was pretty clear, that was just an “of course we are making TES6 someday, stop asking,” because people were acting like the series was dead and Bethesda would never release another game. Also, nobody should expect anything before Starfall is released.
Of course, that gets lost outside the actual presentation, where this was dropped, so here we are, years later, and people think is in development hell or something. Only saying that they’ll get to TES6 eventually, without the teaser, would probably have been better.
When it actually releases I’m sure there will be tons of articles and news that it was rushed and is unfinished
Tbf that’s because it’ll be rushed and unfinished.
