The Elder Scrolls Online: An elf, warrior, and archer.
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Fallout New Vegas dev says studio once pitched an Elder Scrolls spin-off

Why can't we have nice things?

Chris Avellone, the former chief creative officer and co-founder of Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment, has revealed that the company tried to make an Elder Scrolls game in a similar vein. In a thread confirming an old tweet uncovered by 80 Level, Avellone discussed details about the proposal.

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He also compared the idea to the way Infinity Ward and Treyarch handled alternate Call of Duty games during that generation, with Bethesda developing a main game and Obsidian working on something that would offer more Elder Scrolls adventures, like Fallout: New Vegas did for that series.

According to Avellone, the idea didn’t gain traction with Bethesda, and he suggests that the Starfield studio wasn’t happy with the reception that Fallout: New Vegas received, “good and bad.”

Although Fallout: New Vegas has become highly regarded over the years since its release, there was initially some backlash toward the game due to bugs and game breaking issues.

After years of patches and updates, Fallout: New Vegas has gotten the recognition that it deserves. It’s disappointing to think of what we could have had if this had ultimately panned out. It has been over a decade since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released, and it doesn’t look like we’ll get to play The Elder Scrolls VI anytime soon.

If only we had an Obsidian-developed Elder Scrolls game to fill the decade plus gap between releases. It seems like Bethesda missed a trick with that one. Maybe Obsidian’s (remarkably Elder Scrolls looking) fantasy RPG, Avowed, can fill that hole in my heart.


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Image of Matt Cook
Matt Cook
Matt Cook is an experienced video game writer. When he isn't writing about games, he can be found playing everything from the NES to the PS5 and tinkering with retro consoles. He can be found on Twitter @360cookie.