Bethesda make huge promises for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout - now it has to deliver

Two years ago, Todd Howard expressed that he regretted making such a big deal out of announcing The Elder Scrolls 6 so far ahead of time. Today, perhaps buoyed by a desire to offer reassurance in the face of the ongoing Xbox layoffs, Bethesda has chosen to throw caution to the wind and deliver a rather staggering list of everything it has on its card. Fallout 5. Remasters of both Fallout 3 and New Vegas, and the promise of a "new project" from Obsidian. There's even time for a discussion of what's next for Starfield.

A lengthy new post from Bethesda Game Studios details how it's "building for the future of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Starfield." Given that the developer's key franchises were explicitly named as focal points in the new Xbox strategy, it shouldn't be too surprising that they're sticking around, but there's certainly a move in force here. While The Elder Scrolls 6 remains the main focus for BGS (now eight years on from that fated reveal trailer), it assures that Fallout is "one of our biggest priorities today," and the sheer number of announcements on show back that up.

Both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are being developed on Creation Engine 3, with the former the team's "primary development focus," and the latter in pre-production. Bethesda describes CE3 as "a shared technology platform we've been building since Starfield's launch." It says this gives its teams the ability "to support multiple projects simultaneously with new tools, rendering, and systems that define our games."

Fallout 5 is therefore considered the "long-range destination" for the series, suggesting that several of the other announced projects could arrive before it does. One that certainly will do is a "major Fallout 76 expansion" planned for 2027 called Raven Rock, which Bethesda describes as "a prequel story to Fallout 3." Speaking of which, both F3 and Fallout: New Vegas are confirmed to be getting remasters, although there are no dates given for either of those.

Production on Season 3 of the Fallout show "is already underway," and free-to-play management sim Fallout Shelter will continue to get new seasonal updates as well. Bethesda also confirms the rumors that Obsidian Entertainment, makers of New Vegas, are "working with us on a new Fallout project." It doesn't say what that is, but given that it was announced separately from everything else listed above, the implication is that it will be another, distinct game.

"While we won't host a traditional Fallout Day broadcast this year, we're already planning something special for Fallout's 30th anniversary in 2027, when Fallout Day will be celebrated live in Washington, DC." If you're hoping for more news on any of these announced projects, with perhaps the exception of that Fallout 76 expansion, I would bookmark October 23, 2027 as the most likely moment to get it.

Bethesda also maintains that Starfield "remains an important part of our future." It promises to "continue expanding the Settled Systems with new stories, targeted gameplay improvements, and additional updates, while preparing for the launch of new Starborn content next year." I don't want to delve too deeply into spoiler territory on explaining that one - if you've beaten Starfield, you'll know what it refers to, and if you haven't, I'm going to guess that more DLC isn't on your radar anyway.

Finally, Bethesda says it's "bringing its teams closer together," which will include ESO developer Zenimax Online Studios working more closely alongside BGS on "new experiences for The Elder Scrolls Online," and the Elder Scrolls series more broadly. "By aligning more directly across the franchise, we can create even better experiences for players," it explains.

That's everything the studio has to say. Reading between the lines, however, there are also the projects that weren't announced, especially given that Bethesda looks to be laying all its cards on the table at once. With no word of a Skyrim Remastered or Morrowind equivalent in sight, it seems unlikely that either of them is currently in consideration to follow in the footsteps of the Oblivion remake.

It's certainly a big infodump, and I would be lying if my mind didn't immediately shoot back to that TES 6 announcement nearly a decade ago and begin to wonder whether this creates more pressure on the teams involved - and more room for disappointment - than gradually feeding these things out as they get close enough to be certainties. Having reassurances is welcome in the moment, but we didn't really learn anything more here about when we might be playing the next Elder Scrolls game, for example.

Ultimately, Todd's sage words cautioning against overpromising still ring in my ears. What we have here is an impressive list, but one that is incredibly light on specifics - almost certainly by necessity. Without more concrete details, most of these announcements remain little more than whispers on the wind for the time being; personally, I'm actually most looking forward to Fallout 76: Raven Rock, as the one thing that feels the most tangible and real.