Starfield Cost Elder Scrolls VI Seven Years, Ex-Bethesda Dev Claims
A former Bethesda Game Studios veteran who worked on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has revealed new details about why the studio’s roadmap shifted after Fallout 4’s release. According to the account, most members of the development team initially expected the next project to be The Elder Scrolls VI, but studio director Todd Howard ultimately chose to push forward an entirely new IP, Starfield. The decision reportedly upended the team’s established development rhythm and delayed the fantasy franchise’s next mainline entry. The disclosure provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at internal expectations diverging from leadership priorities inside one of the industry’s most prominent RPG developers.
Kurt Kuhlmann, co-lead of Skyrim, said Bethesda had settled into a fairly fixed development loop, alternating between the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. Switching franchises and themes allowed the team to reset its working tempo, which is why most people expected The Elder Scrolls VI after Fallout 4 wrapped up. That sequence never materialized, however. Kuhlmann explained that Fallout 76 was not originally meant to occupy the entire studio, but its scope gradually expanded, keeping the team attached to the Fallout series longer than planned.
The bigger turning point came when Todd Howard directly informed the team that Starfield had been approved by ZeniMax leadership. Kuhlmann recalled the announcement: ‘Todd told us, “No, we’re doing Starfield. I’ve got approval. This will be a brand new IP, a very ambitious project.”‘ He stressed that Starfield was not a project championed from the bottom up by developers, but a management decision handed to the team. ‘It wasn’t the kind of “Hey Todd, we all want to make this space game” atmosphere,’ Kuhlmann said, ‘more like “Guess what, folks? We’re making this space game.”‘
Todd Howard had earlier made a verbal promise to Kuhlmann that he would serve as lead designer on the next mainline Elder Scrolls title. But as Fallout 76 and then Starfield moved forward in succession, that commitment sat untouched for 11 years. By the time The Elder Scrolls VI finally entered development, Kuhlmann was told he would no longer be in charge, ultimately prompting the 20-plus-year Bethesda veteran to leave the studio. The account serves as a reminder that even beloved franchises can wait years when a studio decides to bet on something new.
