Todd Howard insisted on Starfield instead of The Elder Scrolls VI
- Bethesda chose Starfield over The Elder Scrolls VI after the release of Fallout 4
- Most of the studio's employees would prefer to work on a new Scrolls
- Todd Howard single-handedly decided to develop a space RPG 25 years ago
- The Elder Scrolls VI has been in development since the summer of 2023
Creative director of Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard has long nurtured the ambitious project of the space role-playing game Starfield. His dream of creating a large-scale space RPG originated more than a quarter of a century ago and defined the studio's fate for the next decade.
After the release of Fallout 4 in 2015, the Bethesda Game Studios team hoped to switch to the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls VI. Lead designer of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Kurt Kuhlmann recently shared in an interview that such plans were supported by most developers. However, instead, the team had to divert their attention to the development of Fallout 76 — a multiplayer online game that was initially overseen by Bethesda Austin (formerly known as BattleCry Studios).
According to Kuhlmann, the main studio did not anticipate active involvement in the Fallout 76 project. However, when the Bethesda Austin team faced technical and creative difficulties, it became necessary to bring in leading specialists from the headquarters to save the project. This diverted resources and attention from other development priorities.
Howard's authoritarian decision
After completing work on Fallout 76, Todd Howard, with the approval of Bethesda's management, announced to the Skyrim and Fallout 4 team the final verdict: their next project is not The Elder Scrolls VI, but Starfield. Howard presented the game as the future masterpiece of the space genre, claiming it to be the greatest space RPG in history.
Kuhlmann candidly described the mood in the studio: "Personally, I would rather be working on TES 6 instead of 76 and Starfield. I think this is true for most of the studio." In his assessment, the team lacked genuine creative inspiration for the space theme. Howard's decision was perceived more as an authoritarian order: "That's Todd for you:"
Source: 3DNews
