The Elder Scrolls has never gotten a Fallout: New Vegas-style spinoff, and the man who worked on it for 20 years at Bethesda says he knows why: Todd Howard is “very protective” of the IP.
Kurt Kuhlmann, who served as lead designer and senior designer at the Microsoft studio before leaving in 2023, spoke with FRVR about his time on the franchise. Fans have wondered for years why The Elder Scrolls never got the same treatment as Fallout, which handed development of New Vegas to Obsidian. Kuhlmann’s answer points directly at Howard’s caution.
“The whole New Vegas thing did create this, at least the perception of this, ‘Who makes a better Fallout game? Oh, they should just give it to Obsidian’,” Kuhlmann said. “There are the Obsidian, the New Vegas people, that think obviously New Vegas is way better, Obsidian is way better at making those games, and why don’t they just get Fallout altogether?”
Kuhlmann isn’t sure “that Todd wanted to create that situation again for The Elder Scrolls.” He added, “Todd, from my time there, he is very protective of it.”
The Fallout Comparison
The Fallout comparison is the obvious starting point. Fallout: New Vegas was built by Obsidian after Bethesda handed over the rights. The game raised a question: why hasn’t The Elder Scrolls followed the same path?
Kuhlmann’s answer is that Howard simply didn’t want to. The New Vegas model created a perception problem. It made some people wonder whether Bethesda should just hand The Elder Scrolls to another studio. Kuhlmann noted that there are people who believe Obsidian could make a better game, and that sentiment exists within the industry itself.
The question is whether Howard wanted to open that door for The Elder Scrolls. Kuhlmann isn’t sure he did.
ESO Takes the Heat Off
Kuhlmann also pointed to a practical solution that already exists: The Elder Scrolls Online. The multiplayer offshoot launched in 2014, and it has carved out its own place in the franchise’s history. He thinks it did enough to ease the pressure for a spinoff.
“There are a lot of people for whom The Elder Scrolls is now ESO,” Kuhlmann explained. “That’s their experience with it. That’s what they love, and that’s where they got their Elder Scrolls gaming experience, and that’s probably what they want more of.”
“I do think that ESO was the, ‘We’re doing something with Elder Scrolls. There is a product for people that want it.'”
The argument is simple. By releasing a different kind of product, Bethesda showed it could serve players who wanted a multiplayer experience without handing the core franchise to someone else. The Elder Scrolls Online has become its own thing, and that may have removed the urgency for a spinoff.
What Kuhlmann Didn’t Confirm
Kuhlmann stopped short of confirming whether Bethesda ever had formal discussions about a The Elder Scrolls spinoff. He didn’t say the talks happened. He didn’t say they didn’t happen. He just said that Howard’s protectionism is the reason the franchise never got one.
That leaves the door open, but it also explains why nothing happened. Howard protected the franchise.
The Road to Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced in 2018, and it remains years away. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently posted about seeing a demo for the new game, saying that “the scale and grandeur are incredible.”
The spinoff question is tied to that timeline. While fans wait for the mainline game, they have The Elder Scrolls Online. That’s the current product, and Kuhlmann’s comments suggest it may have done the job of a spinoff anyway.
The franchise has a multiplayer game, and a single-player game that is still being built. That is the balance Bethesda has struck, and it is the one Kuhlmann described.
What This Means for Fans
The takeaway is straightforward. The Elder Scrolls doesn’t have a spinoff because Todd Howard didn’t want one. The franchise stayed intact, and the online game filled the gap.
For fans who wanted a second Elder Scrolls game, the answer is ESO. It is a different beast, but it is the franchise. Kuhlmann’s comments suggest that Bethesda never felt the need to fragment the brand the way Fallout did.
The single-player game is coming eventually, and the online game is here now.
Here is how the situation breaks down:
- Fallout: New Vegas was built by Obsidian after Bethesda handed over the rights.
- The Elder Scrolls Online launched in 2014.
- The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced in 2018.
- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma saw a demo of the upcoming game and called it “incredible.”
Kuhlmann’s explanation is the clearest answer anyone has given to this question. Howard wanted to keep the franchise together.
Key Facts
- Fallout: New Vegas was built by Obsidian after Bethesda handed over the rights.
- The Elder Scrolls Online launched in 2014.
- The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced in 2018.
- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma saw a demo of the upcoming game and called it “incredible.”
Kuhlmann’s comments suggest that Bethesda never felt the need to fragment the brand the way Fallout did. Howard’s protectionism is the reason the franchise never got a spinoff. The online game has given players a reason to keep coming back, and the single-player game is still being built.
Source material: “The Elder Scrolls Doesn't Have a New Vegas-Like Spinoff Because Todd Howard Is 'Very Protective' of the Franchise, Former Dev Claims,” IGN.
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