We heard wind yesterday that Bethesda is making an appearance at E3 this year, and it instantly brought up thoughts of what they could be planning to show. There’s a chance that it’s just more Elder Scrolls Online information, but seeing as the game comes out for the consoles during the month of E3, I highly doubt that’s the case.
This is, in fact, their first ever conference Bethesda has held at E3, so they must be planning to reveal something big. If we go back and analyze a few release dates as well as what we know about Bethesda, we may be able to work out what they might be showing.
Bethesda E3 Predictions
We can easily narrow the selection down to two big Bethesda franchises: Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. Other franchises, such as Dishonored, are being over-looked due to the game being developed by an outside company. While Bethesda may still show games from outside companies, this is their first year at E3 so I’m expecting them to show something of their own.
Fallout 4
The last Fallout game that Bethesda developed themselves was Fallout 3 from 2008. Fallout: New Vegas, which was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, came out two years later in October 2010. This is a relatively short span of time between releases. However, considering it wasn’t Fallout 4, it’s completely possible that Bethesda has been working on announcing the next Fallout game and will announce it here at E3.
Obsidian Entertainment did a great job with Fallout: New Vegas, the game was critically well-received, so I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if they handed the series off–at least for a time. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a core Bethesda installment in the Fallout franchise, and fans are itching to see more.
The Elder Scrolls 6
Other than Elder Scrolls Online, we haven’t heard much about The Elder Scrolls games for a while–other than a few quiet patches and DLC for TES V: Skyrim. Skyrim has been out now since November 2011. The last installment in the series, Oblivion, came out early in 2006, and Morrowind before that in 2002.
That looks like a pattern if I’ve ever seen one. If Bethesda follows this pattern, we can easily expect to see The Elder Scrolls 6 by 2017. If that’s true, there’s a high possibility that Bethesda could show off early concepts of the game this year. Showing of a game 2 years in advance may prove problematic, however. People don’t want to wait that long – but maybe we won’t have to.
Which One Will Bethesda Present?
Honestly? Both.
What other reasons are there for claiming your own conference at E3 other than hyping up majorly anticipated titles in well-beloved franchises?
It’s been long enough that a Fallout 4 game is definitely warranted, and it seems rather appropriate for The Elder Scrolls 6 to make an appearance this year. I feel like, if anything, they won’t show The Elder Scrolls VI due to it possibly being a bit early in development.
I hope Bethesda will take their time on the next installment in both series. Bethesda is known for shipping unfinished content in their games. This time, I really hope they just finish it. Don’t release the game until you are satisfied with it, Bethesda. Please.
