Former Bethesda and Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith has given his thoughts on the imminent release of Elder Scrolls 6 and how Bethesda should manage fans' expectations.
Skyrim Former Lead Designer Gives Thoughts on Elder Scrolls 6
Bethesda Should Manage Expectations According to Nesmith
According to former Bethesda and Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith, it is "almost impossible" for Bethesda's upcoming action RPG installment, Elder Scrolls 6, to meet the expectations of Elder Scrolls' fans, considering the company's history. In an interview aired during a recent Kiwi Talkz episode on YouTube, Nesmith gave his two cents on the highly anticipated game and how fans could potentially receive such an awaited installment in the Elder Scrolls series.
"You know, the 30-year-old who is making a piece of art who's a professional artist, he can't control the expectation because he's got all this history," Nesmith said. "It's there whether he likes it or not, and the same is true for the fans who want to buy Elder Scrolls 6, their expectations are going to be almost impossible to meet."
While Nesmith expressed ambivalence towards fan reception, he remarked that the upcoming Elder Scrolls title will no doubt offer an amazing experience for players. "Elder Scrolls 6 is undoubtedly going to be an amazing game, but it's going to be compared to all the previous games that Bethesda made. Just like every studio's games are going to be compared to their previous products," he explained. As the gaming industry continues to see games—as well as consoles—increase in cost, scale, and more, players also place exceeding expectations on developers and publishers to give them the experience they've been advertised and promised.
Being a former designer for Bethesda, Nesmith also noted that such expectations, especially ones from Bethesda fans, have affected other games from the company like Starfield and titles from the Fallout series, with the former Skyrim lead designer saying that developers should try to "manage expectations and set expectations" for players who buy the game.
He further remarked how crucial it could be for the studio to deliver on these, because a when game isn't deemed as "perfect, it just doesn't get a 95 plus on Metacritic," one of the largest reviewing sites on the internet, and will ultimately be written off as a failure.
Bethesda has already faced enormous pressure with the upcoming release of Elder Scrolls 6. Reports from last year revealed that Bethesda and game director Todd Howard had decided on prematurely announcing Elder Scrolls 6 due to demands from fans who have grown frustrated over the developer's silence on the game. "Only the fact that the pitchforks and torches were out got Todd to say ‘Yes we’re going to do Elder Scrolls 6, it’s for real it’ll happen," Nesmith previously said during an interview with YouTube channel MinnMax, additionally noting that the company preferred to reveal games closer to their release dates.
Elder Scrolls 6 was officially announced in 2018, and Nesmith had mentioned that although he's not privy to what's in store in the upcoming installment, elements from previous titles such as Skyrim and Oblivion can be expected in the new Elder Scrolls game. As of now, there's no official release date for Elder Scrolls 6 and development on the game is understood to have only commenced last year, with more information on the game expected to come much later down the road.
Source:
PC Gamer: Skyrim lead designer says it will be 'almost impossible' for Elder Scrolls 6 to meet fan expectations: 'Marketing departments just put their heads in their hands and weep'
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