The Elder Scrolls fans fire back at Skyrim lead's fightin' words: Morrowind "manages to hold up better than Skyrim" and Oblivion's Attribute system was great, actually

When former Bethesda dev and Skyrim lead Bruce Nesmith said, in so many words, that Morrowind is outdated and Skyrim is refreshingly streamlined, I don't think he meant to ignite a feud within the fandom of one of the most beloved RPG series in video games, but boy has he. Recent comments on the direction of the series – from, let's be clear, a veteran designer with clear respect for the IP – stoked fierce defense of what The Elder Scrolls has been in the past, and underneath some dramatic reactions is an interesting design discussion.

Nesmith told Press Box that a Morrowind remake would make modern players "cringe," assuming Bethesda even had the source code to order one to begin with. "Go back and play Morrowind and tell me that's the game you want to play again," he said.

Separately, he revisited the push to simplify Attributes in Skyrim, which was a concerted design decision where he apparently led the charge. "We got rid of attributes in Skyrim and you know who complained? Almost nobody," Nesmith said, advocating for a more immersive adventure that you don't spend "in menus, status, and rules," as opposed to Oblivion's more involved Attribute system.

With this, Nesmith managed a rare triple crown: pissing off Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim fans all at once while talking about what makes The Elder Scrolls great.

Some of the pushback has come from fellow game developers. Michael Douse, publishing lead at Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity studio Larian, argued that a Morrowind remake or remaster with modernized combat would "sell like fucking hotcakes."

Last year's Oblivion remaster, which notably took a polishing wheel to floaty combat, makes a strong case for a similar Morrowind update. The Oblivion remaster didn't turn the game into Devil May Cry or Elden Ring or anything, nor did it need to. A little tune up, some fresh paint, and an excuse to revisit a classic is all many fans need, and can also provide an in for newcomers who missed out on RPG history back in the day.

Frankly, sometimes the cringe is the point. Despite or because of the texture and style of their time, loads of old games are just as fun today. They don't make 'em like they used to – sometimes for good reason, to be fair – and that can give old things an ironic novelty. I think Nesmith's cringe response is partly motivated by the dread of looking back on your old work, whereas outside fans are more likely to reminisce with fondness.

Comments on our story covering Nesmith's Morrowind remarks make a similar case. "Fable was released in 2004 and remastered in 2014. That game might be a bit cringe but it's still a lot of fun," says one reader.

"Played it last week, I do a playthrough twice a year on average, yes that's the game I want a remake of, it and Fallout 3 with some of the cut content added," says another.

On the Morrowind subreddit, fans showed up fast and fierce. "Blizzard said the same thing about Vanilla WoW, and now WoW: Classic has been one of their most enduring and celebrated releases in decades," reads one top comment. "I think Bethesda would be surprised by how many people would dive into Morrowind Remastered." (This is absolutely one of the strongest cases for preserving old games and, crucially, old versions of games.)

"Im literally doing my first playthrough of it, seriously lol its fun doing fisting mage build," says another. Wait, the what build?

"I’ve played it like every year for 25 years," adds one devoted Morrowind fan.

I'm most intrigued by a response which, to me, exemplifies how the eras of The Elder Scrolls – and by extension, Bethesda – are remembered for different qualities. In a separate, white-hot post, one fan asserts, "I don't just want to play [Morrowind], I DO in fact play it. It manages to hold up better than Skyrim." Their claim hinges on Morrowind being "potentially the best-written game in the series, definitely the best-built world in the series," which is how many fans describe the pre-Skyrim era.

The Oblivion remaster was a tidy way to revisit this sentiment, and through it I think a fair few fans only affirmed this belief. Skyrim nailed the adventure, but trimmed depth in other areas to make it happen.

Nesmith's remarks on Skyrim, meanwhile, have prompted checks notes 74 comments on our story there, and I find myself nodding along to some of them.

"There were a lot of people who complained about the RPG elements they cut," one reader says, refuting Nesmith's claim that "almost nobody" was bothered by the dumbing down of Attributes post-Oblivion. (The unparalleled success and enduring popularity of Skyrim speaks for itself, and I think Nesmith's stance reflects that to some degree. But, as always, you don't have to choose – you can just have two cakes!)

"I remember quite a few people complaining about it," echoes another.

"I remember tons of complaints about how watered down Skyrim was compared to Oblivion and Morrowind," says a third.

There are also some interesting counterpoints and concessions. "Unfortunately he's right," says one commenter. "Skyrim was dumbed down enough for the average person in 2012 to play and understand. Now, however, more people are 'experienced' gamers so games need to bring back some of the old challenges while still being inviting to new gamers."

Another observes: "As an old school.gamer who played Daggerfall in my twenties, I think the changes over the years have been great in terms of getting more people to play your game and making it more accessible, however it does mean that the games have been designed for the lowest common denominator. This does not mean the games are better, it just means more people are playing them. In my opinion Skyrim was good, but the older games were better."

More than anything, this discourse pocket reinforces my belief that the way The Elder Scrolls is regarded both inside and outside Bethesda is pretty unique among big RPGs, and it feels like those positions have only been entrenched in the long, long, long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6. If anything, Bethesda's hibernation seems to have intensified those feelings, with what-ifs and wishlist features based on previous games pouring into a total void of official information. There may also be some concerns post-Starfield, but that's another conversation.

With nothing new to look for, no new era of The Elder Scrolls to discuss, people have dug deeper into what defined games like Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. In the minds of many, I think The Elder Scrolls 6 already exists as some Goldilocks ratio of adventure, world-building, role-playing, and narrative complexity – a greatest hits album of the past few Elder Scrolls games. So even if I don't think Nesmith was devaluing fan experiences with his comments, I can see why it would be frustrating to feel that your what-ifs and wishlists are being waved off as outdated.

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