Every now and then, Todd Howard will drop a tiny tidbit about The Elder Scrolls VI to reassure us all that it is coming, eventually. Normally, these tidbits are harmless, regurgitated information repackaged as something new. They’re nice reminders of the game’s existence, something that is greatly needed considering just how long we’ve all been waiting for the game’s long-awaited arrival. While I’m sure we can all agree we’re unlikely to see any meaningful gameplay footage or hear anything of great importance for the next few years, it is still good to hear that Bethesda Game Studios is working on it and that it is going to arrive, eventually.
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However, Howard recently revealed quite a significant amount of important details that actually have me somewhat worried about the state of the game. Crucially, one key detail has tempered my expectations so much that I’m now convinced The Elder Scrolls VI will not be as monumentous as this interminably long wait has set it up to be. While I always suspected that it would be somewhat disappointing, this extremely worrying TESVI report has my once cautious optimism spiralling into a panicked realization that, when Bethesda is concerned, some things never change.
The Elder Scrolls VI Is Running On The Creation Engine
Speaking to the Kinda Funny podcast, Todd Howard touched a little on the progress Bethesda has made on The Elder Scrolls VI. There was a handful of nice updates, namely that the majority of the team is working on it and that they’ve recently passed an important milestone that’s gotten everyone excited. Howard even mentioned that The Elder Scrolls VI will better reflect the classic RPG experiences Bethesda is known for, rather than the more experimental ones of Fallout 76 and Starfield. However, amongst all of the nice, quote-worthy moments, Howard also revealed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will run on Creation Engine 3.
For those not in the know, Bethesda Game Studios has used some form of its in-house game engine, the Creation Engine, since Skyrim. It was based on a more limited engine called Gamebryo, which Bethesda had used for Fallout 3 and Oblivion, among others, and, in theory, was designed to deliver more immersive and large-scale open worlds. However, the Creation Engine is, by modern standards, extremely outdated. It overly relies on the use of loading screens to separate individual locations, is seemingly incapable of producing believable or nuanced animations, is riddled with bugs and technical issues, and results in inconsistent and often unimpressive NPC behaviors. It isn’t the worst game engine ever created, but it frequently fails to meet the needs of the ambitious games Bethesda is trying to create.
Even the updated and enhanced Creation Engine 2 used for Starfield, while certainly leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, still faces a lot of the issues present in Bethesda’s earlier efforts. It’s hard not to speculate that had Bethesda moved away from the Creation Engine, it may have been better equipped to deliver the ambitious RPG experience Starfield was intended to be. Instead, it is bogged down by a myriad of technical issues and mechanical limitations brought about by an engine still utilizing legacy code from over a decade ago. This is why I’m worried for The Elder Scrolls VI.
We are clearly very far away from TESVI’s official release date, which means there’s plenty of time for both technical and mechanical innovation to occur in the meantime. If The Elder Scrolls 6 releases in 2029 or beyond and still suffers from the same lengthy loading screens, janky animations, limited combat, and bugs that have plagued practically every Bethesda game, it’ll feel immensely outdated and disappointing. I also highly doubt that with its current engine, Bethesda can deliver the level of immersion fans have come to expect from the genre, the kind that Warhorse Studios delivered in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Essentially, as it has done with every other Bethesda Game Studios’ title, the Creation Engine will hold TESVI back from fulfilling its true potential.
Bethesda Will Never Abandon The Creation Engine
Of course, in reality, it isn’t all that surprising that Bethesda is still relying on this outdated engine. It is what the studio knows how to use, has its applications within Bethesda’s chosen framework, and is, in the short-term, more cost-effective than training every staff member to learn a different engine. There are also plenty of benefits to the Creation Engine, such as its rather impressive implementation of unique physics for each individual object, something that adds an unprecedented level of immersion that no other game seems capable of. It is also ideal for modding, as it enables Bethesda’s loyal community to tinker with practically every facet of the game with ease.
I can understand the fixation with the engine and why certain members of the community remain smitten with it despite its obvious limitations. However, it is undeniable that the Creation Engine is holding back Bethesda from achieving greatness. It feels akin to 343’s use of the Slipspace Engine for Halo Infinite. It was limited in what it could achieve and garnered a significant amount of criticism as a result of its poor visuals, shadows, pop-in, and lack of detail. While it managed to improve upon certain aspects of the engine for the Infinite’s release, the studio encountered a new issue as it struggled to teach new employees to use it. Eventually, after a much-needed rebrand, 343 switched to using Unreal Engine 5 for its next Halo game.
I am absolutely not advocating for the use of Unreal Engine 5 in The Elder Scrolls VI or really any of Bethesda’s titles. It worked poorly for Oblivion Remastered, delivering uninspired and borderline unpleasant visuals alongside a ridiculously bad technical performance that was abysmal regardless of the platform. Additionally, it has a plethora of limitations that would also only hurt The Elder Scrolls 6. However, there is a lesson to be learned from 343: knowing when to give up. Bethesda has been insistent on using the Creation Engine despite being seemingly incapable of fixing its most glaring issues.
While Howard and co may iron out the biggest kinks by the time The Elder Scrolls VI releases, I somehow suspect that there is a greater likelihood of it once again resulting in a game that feels several generations out of date. The expectations surrounding TESVI are so unbelievably high, and Bethesda’s reputation is unfortunately extremely tarnished, that there can be no room for error whenever it eventually releases. Of course, we won’t know how this will all pan out until the launch day. However, considering that Howard’s announcement immediately elicited concern owing to the Creation Engine’s existing flaws instead of excitement should perhaps serve as a warning to temper one’s expectations rather drastically.
Do you think the Creation Engine will harm The Elder Scrolls 6? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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