Elder Scrolls 6 Should Probably Focus On Choices Over Stats, Original Oblivion Dev Says

With the surprise launch of Oblivion Remastered last week, there has been speculation about whether Bethesda Game Studios might use the older RPG as the foundation for The Elder Scrolls VI instead of the more streamlined Skyrim. Bruce Nesmith, a developer on the original Elder Scrolls IV, doesn't believe that will be the case.Speaking with VideoGamer, Nesmith suggested player choices should trump stat management in The Elder Scrolls VI. "We don’t want the game to get in the way," said the former Bethesda developer. "And that's a very modern take on RPGs. And that is actually at the heart of the 'you do it to get better at it' [leveling mechanic] philosophy of The Elder Scrolls. Because that means I'm not having to pick my skills, I just play. Don't worry about all that crap if you don’t want to." Oblivion Remastered has already proven super popular, with Bethesda revealing the RPG has seen over 4 million players so far. Nesmith noted that he's aware of "a movement to look back nostalgically at games that are more traditional RPGs." But he still believes the large majority of people "just want to play fun games" instead of being "drowned in stats and all this other stuff."Continue Reading at GameSpot

Apr 29, 2025 - 15:47

Elder Scrolls 6 Should Probably Focus On Choices Over Stats, Original Oblivion Dev Says

With the surprise launch of Oblivion Remastered last week, there has been speculation about whether Bethesda Game Studios might use the older RPG as the foundation for The Elder Scrolls VI instead of the more streamlined Skyrim. Bruce Nesmith, a developer on the original Elder Scrolls IV, doesn't believe that will be the case.

Speaking with VideoGamer, Nesmith suggested player choices should trump stat management in The Elder Scrolls VI. "We don’t want the game to get in the way," said the former Bethesda developer. "And that's a very modern take on RPGs. And that is actually at the heart of the 'you do it to get better at it' [leveling mechanic] philosophy of The Elder Scrolls. Because that means I'm not having to pick my skills, I just play. Don't worry about all that crap if you don’t want to."

Oblivion Remastered has already proven super popular, with Bethesda revealing the RPG has seen over 4 million players so far. Nesmith noted that he's aware of "a movement to look back nostalgically at games that are more traditional RPGs." But he still believes the large majority of people "just want to play fun games" instead of being "drowned in stats and all this other stuff."Continue Reading at GameSpot