Best known for being the lead designer on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Bruce Nesmith has offered some interesting opinions recently. From the direction Mass Effect 5 should take to how Bethesda has to set the next Fallout in America, there’s much to unpack. Considering his last project was Starfield before leaving the studio, Nesmith has something to say about the “game of expectations” that it must play.
Asked whether expectations were too high for The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 by Press Box PR, he said, “I am very fond of a phrase called the game of expectations, and I’ve been trotting the game of expectations out for well over a decade. Bethesda’s in the bad position of having expectations being so high they cannot be met.
“Managing expectations is the number one thing a good marketing department has to do. Let’s take a look at Starfield. Let’s assume that a new studio had put out Starfield,” says Nesmith. He believes that it may have been hailed as the next big thing.
“But because it was released by Bethesda, the expectations were so much higher that it was seen differently. Starfield is a good game. It’s a very good game. It’s just not the game that people expected it to be.”
When it comes to The Elder Scrolls 6, “They have that same problem, but they also have the advantage of having done Elder Scrolls 5 and 4 and 3 and 2, to where I think they’ve got a good shot at meeting expectations.
“After Oblivion, there were very sky-high expectations, and Skyrim met them and exceeded them. After Fallout 3, there were very high expectations for Fallout 4, and the studio met them. So the potential is definitely there, but I agree with Nate Purkeypile. Boy, do they have their work cut out for them.”
Of course, opinions are mixed on whether Fallout 4 really lived up to expectations. Even back in the day, it was criticized for several reasons, including its over-simplified dialogue system, the emphasis on settlement building, Radiant Quests, and so on. While impressions have improved over time, it’s not looked back on as fondly as, say, Fallout 1, 2 and New Vegas.
Starfield is another such case, starting with fairly positive reactions (especially among critics) but quickly spiraling with players. On Steam, it currently has an overall “Mixed” rating with only 58 percent of the reviews recommending it. Bethesda has been working on several improvements, apparently as part of a rumored 2.0 update. However, it’s reportedly not quite on the level of overhauls seen in No Man’s Sky or Cyberpunk 2077.
Further details, including news on the next expansion, have also yet to be revealed, but hopefully 2026 will finally be the year.
