Former Bethesda lead artist thinks The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are in a no-win situation due to fan expectations: "Skyrim being one of the top 10 games of all-time, how do you beat that?"
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Scott McCrae
2026-01-12
Bethesda's former lead artist Nate Purkeypile thinks the developers of The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are in a no-win situation now that expectations are so high – in fact, that's partly why he left Bethesda in the first place.
Outside of GTA 6, it's hard to think of a more anticipated game than The Elder Scrolls 6 and – given it'll probably take until 2035 – Fallout 5 is sure to join that list.
But given the somewhat disappointed fan reception to Fallout 4 and a full-blown negative reaction to Starfield from a lot of players, as well as a mixed reception from reviewers, the pressure is bound to be on for the next game to really land with players, and it'll only build up the longer it takes for these highly anticipated sequels to release.
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Purkeypile spoke to Esports Insider and was asked whether he thinks that both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5's development teams are in a bit of a no-win situation when it comes to meeting fans' expectations after their long waits. Purkeypile explains, "Yes, and that definitely factored into me leaving because Skyrim being one of the top 10 games of all-time, how do you beat that?"
"If they do, great! And I hope it’s a great game," Purkeypile adds, but explaining that "even if it’s just as good as Skyrim was, you’ll still get so many people throwing out hateful comments. I’m sure there will be more death threats again. All of that stuff. It’s really unfortunate that that’s the way things have gone."
"I don't think Bethesda hates Fallout," says New Vegas lead, "they just don't fully understand its roots."
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