Starfield’s Development Taught Bethesda Lessons About Handling the Engine for The Elder Scrolls 6

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Although Starfield received mixed reviews, its development was valuable for Bethesda. In an interview with GamesRadar, director Todd Howard explained that working on Starfield provided important lessons that will help the studio improve its in-house Creation Engine for The Elder Scrolls 6.

We significantly improved how we worked on the engine this time around,” he explained. “Starfield used Creative Engine 2, a major shift from our previous engine. For Elder Scrolls 6, we’re using Creation Engine 3, building on what we learned with version 2.

Bethesda admitted that upgrading their game engine from version 2 to 3 wasn’t simple. They described the process as disruptive for the development team, comparing it to suddenly changing their core tools mid-project. According to one developer, working on Starfield meant essentially building the game with two different engines at the same time – using both the old and the new systems concurrently.

The studio now seems very confident about the progress of The Elder Scrolls 6. According to one source, the entire team recognized the need to improve their development process, specifically how they update and change the game engine to stay productive. He praised the team, saying they’ve done a better job with this than ever before.

I was really excited to hear Howard say the team working on the new RPG is feeling great about how the technology is coming along! He mentioned it’s a huge win that they can actually build and change things as they’re developing the tech – that’s seriously impressive and means they’re not stuck with anything limiting them down the line.

As a huge Elder Scrolls fan, I was really excited to hear Howard talk about where they’re at with The Elder Scrolls 6! He mentioned they’re using Creation Engine 3, and things are going well. He said the team has a clear vision for the game – they want to deliver the experience fans expect, but also add a lot of new and innovative stuff. He specifically talked about wanting the world to feel fresh and new, like you’re discovering it for the very first time. Overall, he sounded really positive about the direction the game is taking, which is awesome to hear!

Despite development progressing well, Howard has admitted that announcing The Elder Scrolls 6 so early might have been a mistake. In a recent interview, he jokingly suggested fans should forget the initial teaser reveal from June 2018, saying, “Just pretend we didn’t announce it. It doesn’t exist. No one’s heard a word.”

He explained that game companies often struggle to find the right moment to announce a new game, and then keep players interested throughout the long development process, which can take years.

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2026-03-18 17:12