Since Skyrim, Bethesda's quality has been declining.

Are Bethesda resting on their laurels? It's a question that has been asked by many readers, who worry that Bethesda is falling behind other role-playing developers. Speculations have been made that Bethesda boss Todd Howard is envious of other developers and games, which is why the company has not been able to reach the same success as they had with Skyrim.

The article about Bethesda shooting down every pitch Obsidian Entertainment came up with for Fallout and The Elder Scrolls spin-offs have only added fuel to the fire. It's been suggested that Bethesda didn't like the success of Fallout: New Vegas, and were insecure enough to deny Obsidian the chance to work with The Elder Scrolls.

The Witcher 3 is often seen as a prime example of Bethesda's inability to keep up. While the game was released on more powerful hardware than Skyrim, it's the writing and overarching story that's been praised as superior. Furthermore, the game did not release with a shed load of bugs like Skyrim did - the PlayStation 3 version of Skyrim was completely broken on release, and it took a long time before it worked properly.

The release of Elden Ring from FromSoftware only further solidified this idea. The game not only knocked Skyrim, but also The Witcher 3, out of the park. Its story may be more opaque, but the gameplay is much more impressive.

The way Starfield turned out only strengthens the reader's argument. It's clear that Bethesda is running low on ideas, and they no doubt see what they are now competing against. Although The Elder Scrolls 6 is not due to release until 2025/26, what will other developers have come up with by the time that happens?

Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda in 2012 could be seen as an indication that the Zenimax board, and possibly shareholders, had lost faith in what Bethesda could turn out at that time. Starfield was released before it was ready and, although it may be improved with updates, it's still a sign that Bethesda have failed to read the room.

It's a worrying thought that Bethesda might not be able to keep up with other developers, and it's clear that they are under immense pressure to release something that can compete with the likes of The Witcher 3 and Elden Ring. However, only time will tell if they can rise to the challenge.

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