Bethesda Dev Reveals Most Staff Wanted Elder Scrolls 6 Instead of Starfield
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Skyrim co-lead Kurt Kuhlmann reveals that most Bethesda developers wanted to make The Elder Scrolls 6 after Fallout 4 instead of building Starfield under Todd Howard's direction.
Long time Bethesda developer and Skyrim coelad designer Kurt Kuhlmann recently shared some fascinating behind the scenes history regarding the studio transition following the launch of Fallout 4. According to Kuhlmann, the overwhelming majority of the team expected to dive straight into The Elder Scrolls 6 as the natural next step in their release cycle. Instead, studio director Todd Howard pivoted the entire studio toward a brand new sci-fi universe, effectively charting a course for Starfield without much internal debate or warning from the creative floor.
Speaking in an interview with FRVR, Kuhlmann noted that Starfield was hardly born from a collective studio hunger to build a space RPG. He admitted that most developers simply wanted to return to Tamriel, describing the pivot with a blunt assessment that the team was simply told they were making a space game. Given that Kuhlmann had previously stated Howard promised him the lead design role on The Elder Scrolls 6 after Skyrim shipped, this unexpected detour clearly shifted trajectories for several key veterans at the studio.
Of course, hindsight heavily influences how these internal dynamics are perceived today. Starfield launched to a much more mixed reception than the towering legacies of Skyrim and Fallout 4, making it easy for the community and even weary developers to view Howard s top down leadership style as the root cause of its stumbles. When a massive single player tentpole fails to capture the cultural zeitgeist the way fans and creators hoped, the friction of its creation naturally spills out into public view.
For players invested in Bethesda as a cultural institution, this peek behind the curtain highlights the delicate balance between creative ambition and studio morale. When directors chase long held personal passions at the expense of what the core team and audience are hungry for, the resulting friction often shows up in the final product. As we all wait for news on the eventual arrival of The Elder Scrolls 6, stories like this remind us that even legendary studios struggle with internal alignment when steering massive multiyear projects across console, PC, and cloud platforms. As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, these historical accounts give us plenty to ponder about how modern blockbusters actually come together.
Tags: Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield, PC Gaming, Console Gaming
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun