00:00It's always interesting to hear or read what Todd Howard says about the Elder Scrolls 6.
00:06And this time, our boy Todd says that they need to get it right.
00:11Now, this is one of those statements that sounds reassuring on the surface,
00:15but it also highlights the uneasy reality surrounding the Elder Scrolls 6.
00:21Todd Howard saying we need to get it right is absolutely true.
00:25The problem is that Bethesda has put itself in a position where getting it right isn't enough anymore.
00:32After 8 years of silence, expectations are, as far as I'm concerned, really, really high.
00:38But let's start with a good news.
00:41The fact that Howard says most of Bethesda Game Studios is now working on Elder Scrolls 6
00:46suggests the game is finally in full production mode.
00:49And that's a significant thing because for years the project was effectively on the back burner
00:55while the studio focused on Starfield and its expansions.
00:58So if the majority of the studio is now dedicated to the Elder Scrolls 6,
01:03you could reasonably expect development is going to accelerate.
01:07However, what really stands out for me is Howard admitting he questions
01:11whether announcing the game in 2018 was the right decision.
01:15And to be honest, he is right to question it.
01:17That reveal trailer has become one of the strangest announcements in gaming history.
01:22I mean, when I saw it for the first time,
01:25I kind of expected that the game is going to come out in at least, I don't know, 4, maybe
01:315 years.
01:32But it turns out, Bethesda essentially announced a game that barely existed at the time.
01:37There was no gameplay, no story details, no release window,
01:41and 8 years later, we still don't know anything about the game.
01:45Also, Todd's saying just pretend we didn't announce it was kinda funny,
01:49but it also feels like an acknowledgement that the reveal was a mistake.
01:53I mean, imagine announcing a game and then disappearing for nearly a decade.
01:58Most studios would probably get absolutely roasted for that.
02:02But when I think about it, Bethesda is getting roasted,
02:05so I guess there's that as well.
02:07One thing I need to emphasize,
02:09this isn't just another Bethesda game.
02:12This is the sequel to The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim,
02:15one of the most influential RPGs ever made.
02:19Skyrim has sold tens of millions of copies
02:21and has remained relevant for over a decade through mods,
02:24re-releases and community support.
02:26So the challenge for Bethesda isn't making a good RPG.
02:30The challenge is making a sequel worthy of a game
02:34that has become a cultural phenomenon.
02:36And that's a much harder task,
02:38especially when you take into account
02:41what I call the Starfield factor.
02:44You see, whether Bethesda likes it or not,
02:47Starfield changed the whole conversation.
02:49When the game launched, I had high expectations for it,
02:52because obviously, why wouldn't I?
02:54But then when I saw what the game is all about,
02:57its exploration systems, loading screens,
03:00repetitive procedural content,
03:02and lack of the seamless world design,
03:04it's fair to say that I was completely disappointed.
03:08And because of that,
03:09I no longer give Bethesda the benefit
03:12of the doubt automatically.
03:13Before Starfield, I kinda assumed
03:16Elder Scrolls VI would be incredible.
03:18But after Starfield,
03:20there are several questions that were going through my head.
03:23For example, has Bethesda evolved enough?
03:26Can the creation engine still compete?
03:29Will exploration feel modern?
03:31Will NPCs and quests be more dynamic?
03:34And finally, and the most important question,
03:37has the studio learned from recent criticism?
03:40Those questions sort of existed
03:43on a certain scale a few years ago,
03:46but with Starfield, they have intensified.
03:49So based on this,
03:50the biggest risk isn't that
03:51the Elder Scrolls VI will be bad.
03:53The biggest risk is that
03:55they're going to incorporate
03:56what they already produced in Starfield,
03:59make a slightly prettier version of Skyrim,
04:02and that's basically it.
04:04That's the fucking game.
04:05Now, I made a video about
04:06what would I like to see in the Elder Scrolls VI,
04:09but basically these are the things
04:12that I expect from the game.
04:14Better combat,
04:15better animations,
04:17better NPC behavior,
04:18more reactive worlds,
04:20stronger storytelling,
04:21and less reliance on loading screens,
04:24which is basically what Starfield lacked to begin with.
04:27And if Bethesda delivers Skyrim II,
04:30in the most literal sense,
04:32it's going to be outdated as fuck.
04:35Oh yeah, and let's not forget,
04:37no bugs at launch.
04:39I really want to play a game
04:41from start to finish
04:42that isn't going to have a game-breaking bug,
04:45or with me not dreading
04:47that something is going to happen
04:49and then my whole save is going to be tanked.
04:52Because that almost happened,
04:54and what's even funny,
04:55the same bug happened in Fallout 4.
04:58So from a certain point of view,
05:00it's a good thing,
05:01because I found a fix,
05:02albeit almost barely,
05:04but at the same time,
05:06it shows you that they don't really give a shit
05:08about the stability of the game.
05:10And that's not me being mean,
05:12that's just a factual truth.
05:14Now, the fact that Microsoft and Bethesda
05:16continue to avoid showing the game
05:19tells me one thing.
05:20They know exactly how important
05:22the first gameplay reveal is.
05:24And if they are smart,
05:25they will probably emulate what we saw
05:28for the first time when Skyrim was announced.
05:31There are also talks about waiting
05:33until they can show the game
05:35while saying it's coming soon.
05:37And I would argue that's a smart thing to do,
05:40because nobody wants another situation
05:42where we are waiting another five years
05:45after seeing gameplay.
05:46So when Elder Scrolls 6 finally reappears,
05:49I expect Bethesda to have a much shorter
05:52marketing cycle than people think.
05:54And I would say that probably one to two years
05:58from reveal to launch
06:00is the right way to do it.
06:01Finally, I want to say one thing.
06:04Todd Howard is correct.
06:05Bethesda really needs to get this right.
06:08Not because Elder Scrolls is a beloved franchise
06:11or because Xbox needs exclusives.
06:13They need to make it right
06:15because the Elder Scrolls 6
06:16has spent eight years transforming
06:19from a highly anticipated RPG
06:21into a mythical game
06:23that exists mostly in people's imaginations.
06:26And the longer the wait continues,
06:28the harder it becomes to meet expectations.
06:32Also, after the mixed reaction to Starfield,
06:35Bethesda no longer has the luxury of saying,
06:38guys, just trust us.
06:40Now they have to prove it.
06:43And that's basically my take on this news.
06:45Thanks very much for watching.
06:47And as always,
06:48like, share, subscribe, comment,
06:50all that good stuff.
06:51And that's it for me.
06:52Until the next one.
Comments