Bethesda has been one of the most successful RPG companies of the past decade and broke records with the critical and commercial success of games like Skyrim, which sold 20 million copies between 2011 and 2014. Over the last few years, however, disappointments like Fallout 76 have made the success of the studio’s flagship franchise in The Elder Scrolls 6 more important than ever.
There’s more competition in the first-person RPG market than there was when Skyrim released. Between Avowed and Cyberpunk 2077, the genre has some highly anticipated titles on the next-gen consoles. Bethesda has also stated that The Elder Scrolls 6 will not be released until after another first-person RPG from the developer, a sci-fi epic titled Starfield. However, this could offer Bethesda a unique advantage that could allow the RPG giant to stay on top.
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Bethesda is faced with more competition than ever in the first-person RPG market. Acclaimed developer of The Witcher series, CD Projekt Red, is moving into the first-person RPG market with Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2020. Obsidian Entertainment, a developer many see as vying for Bethesda’s crown, is seemingly directly targeting the first-person fantasy fans who have been waiting for news about The Elder Scrolls 6. The teaser for Obsidian’s upcoming game Avowed didn’t reveal much, but it did show a first-person sword-and-sorcery point of view extremely reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls.
To add to the pressure, Bethesda’s last few titles have been unable to achieve the same joint critical and commercial success of Skyrim. While Fallout 4 made a profit, the voiced player character and inflexibility of the roleplay garnered a lot of criticism, with many observing that the game was a more innovative shooter than it was an RPG. Fallout 76 drew further criticism, to the extent that The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced early in an attempt to divert attention.
There are a few ways, however, that Bethesda could turn the situation it finds itself in to its own advantage. First, the studio could look at the features that are best received in Cyberpunk 2077 and Avowed. Cyberpunk’s melee combat, for example, has already been criticized as clunky in previews in a similar way to Skyrim’s, so the studio needs to figure out how to make combat feel weighty and immersive in its next first-person game.
The studio could also look to upcoming projects like the rumored Mass Effect remaster from BioWare, especially when considering how other developers have tried to maintain older IPs. It is likely, however, that the studio will find the most success if it looks primarily to other first-person RPGs.
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Fortunately for Bethesda, Starfield offers the studio a unique opportunity to be more experimental with some of its solutions than it might be willing to risk without precedent with a valuable IP like The Elder Scrolls. Starfield should serve as the testing ground for The Elder Scrolls 6, adapting to the next generation of first-person RPGs by learning from Avowed and Cyberpunk’s successes and mistakes.
It has been decades since Bethesda has tackled a brand new IP, however, so the studio’s ability to pull of Starfield has yet to be proven. Commercial flops like BioWare’s Anthem demonstrate that big developers can have critical and commercial failures, so plenty of care will still need to be taken with the upcoming game to ensure that more faith isn’t lost in Bethesda.
Nonetheless, releasing The Elder Scrolls 6 after Starfield, Avowed, and Cyberpunk gives Bethesda a chance to make very informed choices for the game’s direction if it takes the opportunity. It is by learning from the competition and experimenting with its next game that Bethesda may be able to find stable footing again and make The Elder Scrolls 6 live up to Skyrim’s immense legacy.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
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