Following the studio's defining work on titles like Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4, fans are waiting with bated breath to hear more about what Bethesda Game Studios has cooking up next. While the studio has been silent for quite some time, the notorious director behind its biggest games, Todd Howard, recently revealed some new details about what players can expect from its next two major projects.
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz's James Batchelor about both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 in an hour-long interview for Develop: Brighton Digital 2020, Howard revealed some interesting new details pertaining to both games. It seems the RPGs will be utilizing technology never before seen in a Bethesda Game Studios title, including a long-requested update to the Creation Engine.
That alone is huge news for fans of Bethesda Game Studios' releases, with the engine staying fairly similar through most of the company's recent games. According to Howard, it's taken quite some time to get the new engine right, however, it will allegedly "power what [it's] doing with Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6," with the director also claiming it'll be a bigger technological jump than that between Morrowind and Oblivion. Another big bombshell was that the studio will once again fall back on procedural generation for its environments, with Howard claiming that the technology behind the tool has changed greatly since the studio used it for Oblivion. The full interview can be found below.
Much like in the classic Elder Scrolls game, Howard and the team will use procedural generation to flesh out the space between areas, clarifying that it doesn't mean entire cities or dungeons will be procedurally generated. Allegedly, NPCs will also be more important in future games and both titles will boast expansive cities bigger than any Bethesda Game Studios has worked on before. Starfield is also set to be the team's biggest game to date, with the title boasting a huge map. That being said, it seems Howard is currently predicting the game will still be a ways off.
Speaking on his when he will debut the upcoming release, the director claims that he doesn't want to show off Starfield until he's certain he's showcasing the final product, likely meaning it will follow Fallout 4 in being fully unveiled the same year it releases. According to Howard, he currently doesn't have any idea of when exactly that moment will be for Starfield, so fans waiting with bated breath to see more of the company's upcoming sci-fi game should probably prepare for a long wait. That being said, it definitely seems like Bethesda Game Studios is developing its biggest and most ambitious project yet, so it'll likely be worth its long development time.
Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 are currently in development.