Bethesda Game Studios has learned quite a lot from Starfield and its iteration of the Creative Engine, apparently – and when it comes to new games like The Elder Scrolls 6, developers are applying those lessons to make for better tech… and a better RPG.
Todd Howard, the iconic Bethesda boss himself, reveals as much during a recent roundtable interview attended by GamesRadar+.
Speaking about how experience devs gathered during the production of Starfield has impacted their work on The Elder Scrolls 6, he discusses the Creation Engine in particular – because, you know, spoiler avoidance and all that. "I will say the way we approached the engine work – we've done a much better job of it this time."
He continues: "With Starfield, it was made on Creative Engine 2, which was a big change from the original engine. We have Creation Engine 3 for Elder Scrolls 6. It started with 2."
It wasn't easy upgrading the in-house tech, though – as Howard puts it, it's "an upheaval for the team trying to make stuff," akin to "just pulling the rug out" from underneath them as they juggle development. "With Starfield, we pulled the rug out."
He explains, "We were doing things in tandem with old and new." That's never simple, but Bethesda managed – and the swap from 2 to 3 for The Elder Scrolls 6 has gone even better, apparently.
"This wasn't me saying it; everyone on the team was like, 'We have to handle this engine updating and change much better so that we can be productive.' And I'm giving the team an A+ there. We have handled that better than we ever have."
He concludes that the devs are "very happy where the tech is and where it's going" – doubly so as "being able to develop while you're changing your tech is a big trick."
Howard's words line up well with what former Skyrim lead and studio veteran Bruce Nesmith has said, too – that it's "wiser" for Bethesda to use its Creation Engine for new titles like The Elder Scrolls 6, with other games serving as an example of why it's "extremely difficult" to swap.
Nesmith also previously said Bethesda can't just switch engines because its current one is "perfectly tuned" to make the studio's beloved RPGs – and, yeah, honestly, it sounds like he's right. The devs have taken the Creation Engine and spruced it up for The Elder Scrolls 6 with an entirely new version of the tech, too, as Howard details.
It's the best possible route, in my opinion, and I do hope the team applies even more lessons learned from Starfield.
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