Bethesda has been the gold standard for open-world RPGs. However, after Starfield and the Shattered Space DLC, I’m not so sure they are anymore. As someone who picked up Elder Scrolls from Oblivion and continued with Skyrim, it is hard to shake the feeling that Bethesda just doesn’t have the same spark. With Elder Scrolls VI still stuck in development limbo, questions are starting to arise about whether they can even pull it off anymore.
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After the disappointment that Starfield turned out to be, I and many others wonder if it is time to consider what Elder Scrolls could become in the hands of a different studio.
Starfield was an endless void. Not just space-wise, but content-wise. Marketing behind Starfield presented it as a vast, rich, universe worthy of exploration, taking Bethesda’s formula to a new level, but it fell painfully flat. (Kind of like No Man’s Sky.)
The promise of vastness was there, but it was rather empty and soulless. Barren, lifeless planets with only a few spots of interest scattered across a monotonous experience overall. It felt like Bethesda forgot what made their open-world games so successful. Things to do, locations to explore, a story that pulls you in, all alongside fun side quests. Instead, Starfield is a hollow sandbox.
The forgettable main storyline didn’t help Starfield. Empty characters and dialogue feel like it was pulled from a generic sci-fi script, only adding to the disappointment. Emil Pagliarulo, the lead writer, claimed he pushed himself to the limit, but honestly, it doesn’t show. The quests are formulaic, with little emotional impact or memorable moments. Even the Shattered Space DLC failed to bring in anything meaningful to Bethesda’s space opera. Instead of fixing the core issues, it just felt like more of the same.
Remember, Starfield was in development for years and is the first new Bethesda IP in 25 years. If the space RPG wasn’t a make-or-break for the studio, then the Elder Scrolls VI surely will be. Other than Fallout, Bethesda has built its foundation on the open-world RPG series and it can’t afford to release another miss.
That said, in a hypothetical world in which Bethesda decides to give up or sell the IP that made it the giant it is today, there are a few studios that spring to mind as fantastic candidates to take the reins.
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One of many is Warhorse, the developer behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance. While Kingdom Come is a simpler game by design, without classes and a not so-rich character creator, a deep story and rewarding side quests speak volumes of the developers’ talent. The game’s classless role-playing system is a blessing in disguise as players can shape their character later within the game choice. Given the right budget, Warhorse could succeed where Bethesda failed in recent takes at open-world RPGs.
Another studio that comes to mind is none other than Rockstar. Rockstar is more than capable on delivering an open-world game and while adding RPG to the formula won’t be a simple task, there are more RPG elements in Red Dead Redemption 2 than in Starfield. If Rockstar somehow acquires Elder Scrolls IP, it’s no secret that the medieval setting will become its own character.
While there are plenty more studios to take over the role, such as Larian, Obsidian, and maybe even FromSoft, Bethesda has it for now and needs to make drastic changes if they want Elder Scrolls VI to succeed.
Bethesda needs to change its approach for the next installment in the series and make new unique characters and quests that would matter to players. The anticipation for the long-awaited sequel (remember, Skyrim originally came out in 2011), might be dwindling due to Starfield’s failure. However, Bethesda still has credit left to deliver what fans have come to expect from their beloved franchises. While we certainly won’t see Dovakhin in Elder Scrolls VI, the new champion has the potential to reclaim the RPG throne, if done right.