Summary
It has been a long time since fans got a new mainlineElder Scrollsgame. Spin-off mobile titles likeBlades,Legends, andCastleshave their charms, but don’t scratch the same itch, and even the massively successfulElder Scrolls: Onlinedoesn’t offer the type of experience that fans of the single-player games want from thelong-awaitedElder Scrolls 6.
It’s therefore not surprising that some fans might wonder about the possibility of aFallout: New Vegas-style spin-off from another studio.New Vegasdeveloper Obsidian had similar ideas, as Chris Avellone recently discussed on Twitter, though Bethesda rejected Obsidian’s pitches forElder Scrollsspin-offs. In retrospect, it might have been best if Bethesda had taken Obsidian up on its offer.
Why Elder Scrolls Never Got the New Vegas Treatment
Before discussing the potential perks of Obsidian developing anElder Scrollsspin-off, it is worth looking at why Bethesda may have turned it down. Studio head Todd Howard has talked about third-party spin-offs before, repeatedly expressing Bethesda’s preference to keep its franchises in-house. While these questions were usually in response toFallout, the answer is likely the same forThe Elder Scrolls, which, unlikeFallout,was always a Bethesda property.
It’s also worth remembering thatObsidian Entertainment’sFallout: New Vegasdid not have the best release of anyFalloutgame. It was extremely buggy at launch, even by Bethesda standards, and the game was prone to crashes. Chris Avellone suspects thatNew Vegas' initially poor reception may have contributed to Bethesda declining Obsidion’s proposal for a long-term partnership.
New Vegas' writing also benefited from Obsidian’s familiarity withFalloutlore and borrowed many concepts from the canceledVan Burenversion ofFallout 3. These factors gaveNew Vegasan advantage that anElder Scrollsspin-off wouldn’t necessarily have.
Why an Elder Scrolls New Vegas Would Have Been Good
That said, there are a few significant advantages that would have made aNew Vegas-style spinoff worthwhile. Obviously, it would mean fans have an additionalElder Scrollsgame to enjoy, reducing the gap between titles. More significantly, it opened the possibility of telling stories Bethesda isn’t interested in, but fans might be.
Long-timeTESfans sometimes criticize the series writing on the grounds that it has gotten less complex with time. In 2016,Bethesda’s lead writer Emil Pagliarulodescribed his principle of “Keep it simple, stupid,” which he interprets to mean focusing on only one or two core themes. In that same talk, he also infamously suggested thatFallout 4players aren’t interested in complex narratives in open-world games. However, manyElder ScrollsandFalloutplayers are interested in complex stories, even if Bethesda is not.
For example,Daggerfall’s plot is somewhat similar toNew Vegasin that it features multiple factions fighting over a single goal. Similarly, while they weren’t the story’s main focus,Morrowindfeatured several joinable factions with conflicting goals and ideals. While some fans hopeElder Scrolls 6might feature something similar, it doesn’t seem like that is the kind of game Bethesda wants to make. However, aNew Vegas-style spin-off could have delivered this kind of experience.
Obsidian’s Alternate Universe Elder Scrolls
Avellone didn’t list all ofObsidian’sElder Scrollspitches, though he indicated that there were more than one. However, he revealed that proposals included setting the games in alternate universes to avoid stepping on the toes of Bethesda’s canon. These pitches included games set in a timeline where the protagonist of a mainlineElder Scrollsgame failed.
This would create an opportunity to explore these villains in greater depth and show how Tamriel’s society would adapt to their rule.Obsidian’s 2016 gameTyrannyasked players to question what morality means in a world where evil has already won, so it’s easy to imagine the studio exploring similar themes in anElder Scrollsspin-off. These alternate universes would also help to make the main games more compelling by giving the player a clearer idea of what happens if the villain wins.
Fallout: New Vegas
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas.It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head and left for dead…and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis. It’s a place where the right kind of person with the right kind of weaponry can really make a name for themselves, and make more than an enemy or two along the way.As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare “winner takes all” and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3.Enjoy your stay.
