The Elder Scrolls 6 is most certainly going to be Bethesda’s next big game. Even though it and Starfield were announced at the same E3 show in 2018, it is going to be a while before the game emerges again. The span between Fallout 76 and Starfield was five years, so another five years will likely pass before Bethesda is done with their next RPG.
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That doesn’t mean The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be the next game in the series to come out though. This also means that fans won’t have to wait those five proposed years to play another game. That is if Bethesda and Microsoft allow these other studios to make spinoffs.
8 Capcom
Capcom was at the top of their game in the 80s and 90s when it came to brawlers. They had original games like Final Fight along with licensed-based games in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara are the two games they made, offering players multiple paths to tackle and classes to role-play.
Wouldn’t it be a fun idea to revive this side-scrolling brawler style with a tie-in to The Elder Scrolls? It could be a small, downloadable game with either modern 3D graphics on a 2D plain or Capcom could go above and beyond and make this spinoff a classic sprite-based brawler.
7 Double Fine
Double Fine may sound like a weird company to make a spinoff with, but there are reasons. One, they are now owned by Microsoft just like Bethesda, making the transaction probably less of a headache. Two, Double Fine is not unfamiliar with making a fantasy-based action game.
Brutal Legend was an isekai that saw a roadie, Eddie, get transported into a land where Metal gods like Ozzy Osbourne ruled. What if Double Fine finally made a sequel to it but instead had Eddie get transported into one of the many realms within The Elder Scrolls? Eddie seems like the type of person who plays these games while listening to metal anyway.
6 DreamRift
DreamRift is probably the most obscure studio on this list and they may not even exist anymore. Their website has been dissolved but they seemingly still exist in the ether. Their last game was Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion but the important game to reference for this idea is Monster Tale.
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Monster Tale was a DS Metroidvania wherein a young girl befriended a beast that could grow depending on what it fought and what it ate. DreamRift could continue to flex their Metroidvania talents with a spinoff based on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim wherein players could raise a dragon that grows into a partner.
5 Infinite Interactive
Infinite Interactive is what this studio began as but it has since been rebranded as Infinity Plus 2. Whatever their name is isn’t important as fans will be more familiar with their legacy via Puzzle Quest. The unique blending of RPGs with match-three puzzle games was truly astonishing at the time on both PSP and DS.
There is a card-based spinoff on The Elder Scrolls already, so it doesn’t seem that weird if Infinity Plus 2 got the green light to make a puzzle game based on this franchise. It could even just be called The Elder Scrolls: Puzzle Quest as the studio has made licensed-based tie-ins before via Marvel Puzzle Quest.
4 Kaiko
Kaiko is the developer responsible for the remaster of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning after THQ Nordic acquired the brand. The remaster of the original content was wonderful but the DLC proved that they have the talent to put their own spin on things.
One thing that a lot of fans of The Elder Scrolls can agree on is that the combat is not the best. It’s fully customizable but it doesn’t have the finesse of an action game like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. That’s why Kaiko would be a perfect match to make a more intense action game for Bethesda and maybe even Bethesda can learn a thing or two from them.
3 Red Hook Studios
Red Hook Studios is the small indie team responsible for the two Darkest Dungeon games. These roguelikes are some of the toughest out there due to their high difficulty level. Players will assemble a team and then venture into dungeons to seek their fortune, but they will probably wind up traumatized or even worse, dead.
A spinoff in The Elder Scrolls universe doesn’t have to be as challenging but the horror aspect should remain high. Bethesda is missing a good horror game in their RPG repertoire and a spinoff could do nicely to fill fans with dread in this 2D gothic art style.
2 Square Enix
Square Enix works with other RPG studios all of the time for spinoffs, so if anyone would be game to help Bethesda out, it would be them. One of their biggest franchises is Final Fantasy and one of their most beloved spinoffs within that franchise is Final Fantasy Tactics.
This turn-based tactical RPG gave players a wealth of options for classes and abilities to master. The Elder Scrolls could make for a good tactical RPG too since there are classes involved along with a wide variety of races. Also, a more cartoony or pixelated style may attract non-fans of The Elder Scrolls to check it out.
1 Ubisoft
One of the things that fans of The Elder Scrolls like most in the games are the guild quests. In past entries, there have been assassination and thief guilds like the Dark Brotherhood. A spinoff that is all about thievery or assassination could prove to work well if Ubisoft worked on it.
They have a lot of experience under their belt in both genres thanks to the Assassin Creed series and they even have RPG experience with some of the more recent entries. A full AAA game would be cool on the scale of Assassin’s Creed Mirage but a side-scrolling adventure like Assassin’s Creed Chronicles could also get the point across.