Why The Elder Scrolls Never Got a New Vegas-Style Spinoff, According to a Former Bethesda Dev
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Former Bethesda developer Kurt Kuhlmann reveals that Todd Howard protected The Elder Scrolls from outside spinoffs to avoid the competitive studio dynamics seen with Fallout: New Vegas.
For years, fans have wondered why The Elder Scrolls never received the same external spinoff treatment as the Fallout franchise, especially after Obsidian delivered a fan favorite with New Vegas. According to former Bethesda lead designer Kurt Kuhlmann during an interview with FRVR, game director Todd Howard is simply very protective of the fantasy IP. Kuhlmann noted that the intense community debate over whether Obsidian made a better Fallout game created a dynamic that leadership likely wanted to avoid repeating for Tamriel.
Kuhlmann also pointed out that ZeniMax Online Studios successfully filled that expansion gap with The Elder Scrolls Online. Launching in 2014, ESO took the heat off traditional single-player spinoff demands by carving out a massive, ongoing multiplayer space that became the definitive Elder Scrolls experience for a whole section of the community. While Kuhlmann did not confirm whether formal spinoff discussions ever took place, ESO effectively satisfied the corporate desire for active franchise content between mainline releases.
As players continue the long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6, which was announced back in 2018 and remains years away, the community must rely on ESO and occasional high-level teases from Xbox leadership to sustain their fandom. With Bethesda navigating significant behind-the-scenes changes, the single-player timeline remains tightly controlled by the core studio. For now, the keys to Tamriel stay firmly in-house.
Tags: Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls, RPG, Gaming News, Industry
Original article: IGN South Africa