Although very little is known about The Elder Scrolls VI other than that it is in the works and it is coming out at some point, the community is obviously excited about the next entry in the series. However, as it's already been almost 15 years since the launch of the celebrated The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, expectations are incredibly high, so much so that they have put the game in a "no-win" situation, according to a former Bethesda employee.
Speaking with Esports Insider, former Bethesda Lead Artist Nate Purkeypile, who worked on Fallout 3, 4, 76, and Skyrim, commented on the next entry in the series and the challenges it is already facing during development. Expectations for both the game and Fallout 5 (which is unlikely to return to the series' roots, according to Fallout New Vegas lead developer Chris Avellone) are very high, and Purkeypile believes they have put both games in a "no-win" situation, alongside Skyrim being widely considered as one of the best games of all time.
"How do you beat that?" he said. "And I hope it’s a great game, but even if it’s just as good as Skyrim was, you’ll still get so many people throwing out hateful comments. I’m sure there will be more death threats again. All of that stuff. It’s really unfortunate that that’s the way things have gone," Purkeypile continued.
The massive fan expectations are putting major pressure on The Elder Scrolls VI, and, according to Purkeypile, Bethesda will take all the time needed to deliver the best possible game. "I think there is less economic pressure to just get Elder Scrolls VI out on a date, but there is more economic pressure to actually make sure it’s good, and I think that’s a good thing. That’s healthy so long as they’re also honest with the team about that," the former Bethesda lead artist elaborated.
The long time it's taking for the game to launch, however, has nothing to do with waiting to see Grand Theft Auto VI's reception. "I’m sure there’s plenty of audience overlap and all, but just because one game flops doesn’t mean another will necessarily. There can be a whole bunch of reasons that happen."
Although a slightly different game, there's no denying that the reception Starfield received when it launched in 2023, which hasn't really improved over time with the release of free updates and the Shattered Space expansion, could definitely be putting more pressure on the development team to deliver the best possible RPG, and the "ultimate fantasy simulator" Todd Howard himself teased last year.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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