Starfield has fans worried about The Elder Scrolls 6
Unfortunately for Starfield, it's on a downtick like Bethesda had hoped it never would. We reported that Starfield Steam numbers had hit rock bottom, and from six-figure launches down to mere thousands playing a new Bethesda title on the world's biggest digital storefront, it's a horrible look.
The knock-on effect is a manifestation of players finally realising that, as a gaming community, we might have had enough of the archetypal Bethesda game design. Now, fans are looking to the future of The Elder Scrolls with fear and trepidation.
Fans are scared for The Elder Scrolls 6 after Starfield dip
Click to enlargeWord of Starfield's recent failures has reached the players, and as they take to Reddit to share their concerns for the space-faring adventure and just how much the upcoming DLC can do for it, they're also getting pretty worried about what this means for the next instalment in the Elder Scrolls series.
Fantasy fans have rallied to one comment regarding the loss of Starfield players, as user u/SwoloLikeSolo says that it "makes me worried for Elder Scrolls 6 if this was their 'passion project.'" The concern is that if Bethesda went all the way in on a game it was passionate about, what does it mean for the quality of the upcoming sequel to Skyrim?
There are worries that The Elder Scrolls 6 gameplay will echo Starfield, bringing boredom that the sword-swinging franchise hasn't seen before. As one person wrote, "I think Bethesda needs to rethink all of their game design. Especially in a Baldur's Gate 3 world. New Vegas had a similar impact in revealing flaws in Bethesda's game design."
Fans theorise about the future of Elder Scrolls
Click to enlargeThe thread was full of similar comments. "The main problem with Starfield is the inhumane amount of procedural generation that destroyed any excitement when it came to exploration," says one comment in an attempt to downplay the initial commenter's concerns.
"Unless they do another Daggerfall (which might happen), Elder Scrolls 6's map will be limited in size (compared with Starfield at least) and, as such, have way less procedural generation in it and more handcrafted locations (at least proportion-wise)."
Another concerned player shared, "Elder Scrolls 6 definitely won't be a buy-on-sight any more. Big name IPs don't carry the weight they once did and anybody who is still preordering after like a decade or more now of unreliable AAA games being disappointing on release almost deserves whatever they get. Just wait like a week lol."
Starfield has clearly rocked people's expectations for Bethesda going forward, and with this coming after Fallout 76, things aren't looking as bright as they could be for the gaming giant. At least we've (hopefully) got Arkane to carry the Bethesda name into the light with Blade.
