Todd Howard, executive producer and game director at Bethesda Game Studios, has published a note outlining the company’s plans over the coming years, including Fallout 5 and The Elder Scrolls 6, as well as remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, and a Fallout Shelter TV show.
The strategy is closely focused on evolving existing franchises, as well as emphasising user-generated content. “We’re investing more deeply in the worlds players love, giving creators a bigger role in shaping their experiences, and bringing our teams closer together so we can get our games into your hands sooner, support them longer, and continue building them alongside you for decades to come,” said Howard.
“We’ve believed from the beginning that our worlds belong not only to the people who make them, but also to the people who play them. That’s why we’ve long provided players with the tools to create their own experiences, dating back to the Morrowind Construction Set. This year marked another major milestone for Creations with its expansion to Fallout 4, joining Skyrim and Starfield. We’re proud to say Creators have already earned more than $10 million in royalties from their work.”
In terms of the plans for Fallout, Howard said the franchise was one of the studio’s biggest priorities, noting that Fallout 4 has now sold more than 35 million copies. “Fallout 5 remains our long-range destination,” he said, “and we have multiple Fallout projects in active development right now.”
Fallout 76 will be getting an expansion next year | Image credit: Bethesda Softworks
These projects include the Raven Rock expansion for Fallout 76, which is due next year and which offers a prequel story to Fallout 3. In addition, Howard promised further seasons for Fallout Shelter, which has now surpassed 250 million players. “An unscripted Fallout Shelter television project is also in the works with our partners at Amazon Studios and Kilter Films,” he said, adding that production on season three of Amazon’s Fallout show is already underway.
“We also know many players want to revisit previous Fallout experiences,” said Howard. “While we’re not announcing any dates today, we have been working on remasters for both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.”
In addition, Howard promised something special for Fallout’s 30th anniversary in 2027, “when Fallout Day will be celebrated live in Washington, DC.”
The note emphasised collaboration among studios, confirming that Obsidian is working on a new Fallout project, as previously reported.
Fallout: New Vegas is being remastered | Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment/Bethesda Softworks
“We’re also bringing our teams closer together across Bethesda,” said Howard. “ZeniMax Online Studios will partner closely with Bethesda Game Studios on The Elder Scrolls franchise, while continuing to deliver incredible new experiences for The Elder Scrolls Online.” He promised more ESO to come in the future.
“By aligning more directly across the franchise, we can create even better experiences for players,” he said. “Bringing our teams closer together is helping us build a stronger foundation for everything we create next.”
Howard said that both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are being developed using Creation Engine 3, the same technology used in Starfield, and noted that Fallout 5 is in preproduction. But he said that The Elder Scrolls 6 is our “primary development focus”, and that the majority of the studio’s team is currently working on it. It’s now 15 years since the launch of the previous game in the series, Skyrim, and its long-awaited sequel was announced in 2018.
“The next chapter is on the way,” said Howard. “We’re where we planned to be, loving how it looks, and playing it every day.”
The announcement trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6 was shown in 2018 Watch on YouTube
Howard also announced continued support for Starfield: “As we enter Year 3, we’ll 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. More than 40% of players already customize their experience through Creations, and we’ll continue investing in creators and giving players new ways to make Starfield their own.”
“Across Bethesda Game Studios, we’re building for the future of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Starfield,” Howard concluded. “We’re investing in our technology, bringing teams closer together, supporting our live games, expanding into new forms of entertainment, and developing the next generation of Bethesda RPGs.”
The reveal follows Bethesda’s announcement at the start of July that it was moving to a “franchise-centric” planning strategy to better focus resources on long-term growth and stability.
“We are shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what’s next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises and determining the content roadmap that best serves our players and Bethesda as a whole,” said CEO Jill Braff.
Bethesda Game Studios was hit by Microsoft’s sweeping cuts this month, with the company cutting 3,200 jobs across the whole of its Xbox division. Bethesda’s sister studios under Zenimax Media, id Software and Zenimax Online Studios, were hit particularly hard, with layoffs at the latter including several leadership positions.
The OneBGS union organised a protest against the cuts, which affected a total of 440 union members. “The company wants us to accept this as a done deal and quietly disappear,” said the union in a statement. “We won’t let that happen. Our next steps are to mobilise. We need every single member visible and unified.”
