Bethesda prefers to take the quality over quantity approach when it comes to its video game releases, and this strategy has served it well for many years. Starfield is the next title gamers are anticipating, but looking ahead, things seem great for the studio. Starfield may receive multiplayer DLC at some point, and there is still Fallout 5 and The Elder Scrolls 6 to look forward to.
These upcoming titles have the potential to be outstanding games, especially now that the studio is under Microsoft's umbrella. This may give the studio access to more resources than ever. Though gamers will likely have to wait a couple of years for all the releases, having a little patience may be worth it in this case.
Bethesda's Future Franchises Are Looking Good
The Fallout series currently sits in a good position. The last mainline entry in the series, Fallout 4, was both critically and commercially successful, leaving fans craving more. Fallout 76 takes the series online. At launch, it was heavily criticized for its technical issues and some of the design choices, but rather than abandon the project, Bethesda kept working on the multiplayer game. The result is that years later, the game is still highly popular, and it enjoys an active player base. Bethesda isn't done with the Fallout franchise just yet, and Howard has announced that Fallout 5 is on the way. It may take several years before it sees the light of day, but it gives something players to look forward to from Bethesda.
Fallout isn't the only Bethesda franchise that has been getting attention. For many players, the studio is known chiefly for The Elder Scrolls, which is one of the most popular first-person open-world games. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is over a decade old, yet it still has fervent fans behind it. Fortunately for them, a follow-up is on the way, though very few details outside a brief trailer have been revealed. The game is scheduled to release after Starfield. However, after all these years, technology has progressed significantly, and it is unbearably exciting to imagine what Bethesda can do with The Elder Scrolls on modern gaming systems.
Starfield and Its Future
It's a rare event for Bethesda to kickstart a new IP, which is one of the reasons why gamers are so excited about Starfield. Set in the distant future following the Colony War, the game has players exploring a corner of the Milky Way known as the Settled Systems. Like other Bethesda open-world titles, players will have the freedom to journey wherever they please and carve their own story. From the trailers that have been shown, Starfield has already been compared to The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, and while it does borrow elements from past Bethesda titles, it appears to bring enough newness to give itself a unique identity.
It is very unlikely that Starfield will be a one-off release that Bethesda then abandons. The game has yet to release and there is already speculation that Starfield will receive a multiplayer expansion. This is also the strategy that the studio has used in the past, as seen with Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online. Starfield, perhaps more than prior Bethesda titles, would serve as a great setting for a multiplayer game, and co-op abilities would make exploring the vast expanse of space less lonely.
Bethesda has a habit of announcing games far too soon. Hence, although The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 have been confirmed, gamers have a lot of waiting to do before they will get to see them. Even the wait for Starfield has been a long one featuring delays, but gamers will hopefully finally get to experience it during the first half of 2023.
Starfield releases in early 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.