The Elder Scrolls will face stiff competition from games like Avowed and Cyberpunk 2077, but Bethesda has one unique advantage.
Arbor has been one of the most successful RPG companies of the past decade, and Skyrim has broken all commercial records and received critical acclaim from critics. Developers sold 20 million copies the fifth part of the Elder Scrolls between 2011 and 2014. Over the past few years, however, frustration games like Fallout 76 have made The Elder Scrolls 6’s success more important than ever to the studio.
There are more competitors in the first-person RPG market than there were when Skyrim was released. In addition to Avowed and Cyberpunk 2077, this genre has other highly anticipated titles on next-gen consoles. Bethesda also said that The Elder Scrolls 6 shouldn’t wait until another RPG of their production, a sci-fi epic Starfield…
However, it could give Arbor a unique advantage that will keep the RPG giant at the top.
Strong competitors
Bethesda is facing more competition than ever. Renowned developer of The Witcher series, CD Projekt Red, is entering the market with Cyberpunk 2077, one of the hottest anticipated releases of 2020. The project’s audience is actively growing.
Obsidian Entertainment, on the other hand, is clearly aimed primarily at fans of the lineup who are waiting for news of The Elder Scrolls 6. The teaser for their upcoming game Avowed did not reveal much, but itrendered a first-person game system with a focus on sword and sorcery, very reminiscent of the Elder Scrolls gameplay…
Bethesda’s past few games have not been as successful as Skyrim, and this adds to the pressure on the company. While Fallout 4 was profitable, the character’s pre-written character and the inflexibility of the role-playing drew a lot of criticism. Journalists and fans alike noted that the game was more innovative as a shooter than an RPG. Fallout 76 drew an even greater flurry of criticism, to the point that The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced early in an attempt to divert attention from this flop…
However, there are a few tweaks that could turn things around in a positive direction for Bethesda:
- The studio will be able to look at the features that work best in Cyberpunk 2077 and Avowed. For instance, Hand-to-hand combat in Cyberpunk has already been criticized because of its clumsiness and unrealism. In Skyrim, the situation was similar. So the studio needs to figure out how to make hand-to-hand combat exciting and cinematic in their next game.
- It will also be useful to analyze upcoming projects, such as the remaster of Mass Effect from BioWare. This is especially true given how other developers are trying keep old franchises, because this experience will also be useful for the sixth part of the Elder Scrolls.
Starfield And The Elder Scrolls
Luckily for Bethesda, Starfield gives the studio a unique opportunity to experiment with some of its solutions. Thus, the developers will protect such a valuable franchise as The Elder Scrolls from risks. Also Starfield should be a testing ground for the Elder Scrolls. This project will be the first to go through the process of adaptation to the next generation of RPGs and learn from the successes and mistakes of Avowed and Cyberpunk.
Decades have passed since Bethesda took on an all-new franchise, however, so the studio’s ability to get it right is still in question. Commercial flops like BioWare’s Anthem demonstrate that large developers can have serious problems creating new lines. Because of this, the company will still need to take great care in the development of the upcoming game in order not to lose any remnants of trust in Bethesda.
However, the release of The Elder Scrolls 6 after Starfield, Avowed and Cyberpunk gives the studio the opportunity to make an informed choice of direction for the game. If the company can accommodate the mistakes of its competitors and is not afraid to experiment with its next game, then the chances are high that The Elder Scrolls 6 can surpass Skyrim’s success.