The Elder Scrolls has never received a Fallout: New Vegas-style spinoff, and according to former Bethesda developer Kurt Kuhlmann, the reason comes down to Todd Howard’s deep protectiveness over the franchise. Kuhlmann, who spent two decades as lead and senior designer at the studio before departing in 2023, offered the explanation during a recent interview with FRVR, shedding light on a question fans have pondered for years: why the fantasy RPG series never got the same spinoff treatment that the Fallout franchise enjoyed.
For decades, players have wondered why The Elder Scrolls never followed the path blazed by Fallout: New Vegas, the critically acclaimed 2010 spinoff developed by Obsidian Entertainment. Kuhlmann’s comments suggest the answer lies less in creative hesitation and more in Howard’s careful stewardship of one of gaming’s most beloved intellectual properties.
The New Vegas Comparison That Never Applied
Kuhlmann pointed to the lasting perception created by New Vegas’s success, a comparison that some fans and developers have repeatedly drawn between the two franchises. “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’,” he recalled. “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?”
According to Kuhlmann, Howard simply did not want to recreate that situation for The Elder Scrolls. “Todd, from my time there, he is very protective of it,” he said, offering a candid glimpse into the studio head’s approach to managing the franchise.
How The Elder Scrolls Online Changed the Conversation
Kuhlmann believes that ZeniMax Online Studios’ The Elder Scrolls Online effectively defused the demand for a separate spinoff. Launched in 2014, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game diverged sharply from the series’ traditional single-player offerings, yet it carved out a distinct and enduring place within the franchise’s history.
“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.'”
Kurt Kuhlmann, former Bethesda developer
Notably, Kuhlmann stopped short of confirming whether Bethesda ever held formal discussions about a The Elder Scrolls spinoff, leaving the matter somewhat open. Still, his account provides a compelling explanation for why the studio may have chosen to channel that creative energy into a live-service title rather than a standalone successor to New Vegas.
Looking Ahead
As Bethesda undergoes massive changes behind the scenes, fans will likely have to settle for The Elder Scrolls Online while they continue waiting for a more traditional installment. The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced in 2018, but as of 2026 it still appears to be years away from release. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently shared that she had seen a demo of the upcoming game, praising its “scale and grandeur” as “incredible.”
Until then, The Elder Scrolls Online remains the primary way for players to explore Tamriel in a shared world, while the studio focuses its resources on the next mainline entry. For those interested in Kuhlmann’s broader reflections, he also discussed the potential for a Starfield sequel during the same interview.
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