The studio's past works set a very high bar.
Former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith recently spoke with Press Box PR. The interviewers asked whether he agreed with the statement that "expectations are so high that making The Elder Scrolls VI or Fallout 5 has become an almost impossible task".
In Bruce's view, Bethesda is currently in a disadvantageous position, because expectations for the studio's games have risen to such a height that satisfying them is no longer possible.
As an example, he suggests looking at Starfield, which was criticized by players at launch. He assumes that if such a game had been made by a studio other than Bethesda, it would have become a hit:
The ability to manage expectations is the main thing a good marketing department must be able to do. Take Starfield, for example. Imagine this game had been released by a completely new studio. I think in that case it would have been discussed as something epoch-making, as the "second coming." But because the game was released by Bethesda specifically, the bar of player expectations was much higher — and the game was perceived differently. Starfield is a good game. A very good one. It's just not the game people expected to see [from Bethesda]
With The Elder Scrolls VI, Bruce believes Bethesda has the very same problem, but the developers still have certain chances of succeeding:
[...] they have already released Elder Scrolls V, IV, III, and II, and they have every chance of living up to expectations. After Oblivion, expectations were sky-high, and Skyrim not only met them but managed to surpass them. After Fallout 3, expectations for Fallout 4 were also extremely high — and the studio managed to satisfy them. So they certainly have potential. But I agree with Nate Purkeypile — Bethesda has a very difficult job ahead.
![[Video] IGN Gave It a 6. We Recommend It - Review of Mouse: P.I. for Hire [Private Detective MAUS]](https://media.ixbt.site/312x192/smart/ixbt-data/1175498/a-first-look-at-mouse-p-i-for-hirerubber-hose-and-rubber-bullets-2025-06-10-394764.jpg)
