The Elder Scrolls 6 Loremaster Reveals Why He Left Bethesda

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Kurt Kuhlmann, who used to be a lead writer for Bethesda, says he left the company because of unfulfilled promises and problems with how the studio operated, not to work on The Elder Scrolls 6. With the Fallout series gaining popularity again and excitement building for the next Skyrim sequel, many are curious about the future of The Elder Scrolls 6. Now, fans know one key person who won’t be involved and the reason why he left.

It’s been over ten years since the last major Elder Scrolls game, but there’s been some encouraging news lately. Todd Howard, head of Bethesda, has stated that The Elder Scrolls 6 is making good progress and that most of the development team is now focused on it. Interestingly, one key figure from Bethesda, Kuhlmann, isn’t involved. He left the company in 2023 after contributing as a writer and lead designer on popular titles like Skyrim, Oblivion, and Fallout 3. Now, over two years later, he’s finally explained his reasons for leaving.

Former Elder Scrolls Loremaster Left Bethesda After 20 Years Because of “Slow, Rolling” Changes

In an interview with PC Gamer, former Bethesda developer Kuhlmann explained his frustration with the company’s evolution. He felt that as Bethesda grew from a small, focused team into a larger, more corporate structure, project leaders shifted from actively making the game to simply managing others. Kuhlmann stated he preferred a hands-on approach to development, but the increasing layers of management caused communication problems and led to poor choices. This aligns with comments from another ex-Bethesda developer, Nate Purkeypile, who believed Starfield suffered because developers had less creative freedom as the teams and bureaucracy expanded.

According to former Bethesda Loremaster, Kuhlmann, subtle changes within the company not only gave him less interesting work, but also negatively impacted the overall quality of Bethesda games. While praising Todd Howard’s design skills, Kuhlmann notes that Howard became less involved in the actual game development as the company grew, which he believes hurt the projects. This concern about company size affecting game quality isn’t limited to Bethesda; the Creative Director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 recently stated their studio intentionally avoids expansion, believing that direct leadership involvement leads to more creative and higher-quality games.

Image via Bethesda

The departure of the longtime Loremaster from The Elder Scrolls wasn’t just due to typical workplace frustrations. According to Kuhlmann, he was originally promised the lead design position on TES 6 after the completion of Fallout 4. However, Bethesda prioritized Fallout 76 and Starfield instead, delaying work on TES 6. When the project was finally revisited, company leadership informed him he wouldn’t be leading the design after all. Combined with his increasing dissatisfaction with how Bethesda operated, this ultimately led to his decision to leave. While other experienced developers may join Bethesda, it remains to be seen how Kuhlmann’s departure will impact the future of the series.

Image via Bethesda

Despite feeling let down by unfulfilled expectations, the former lead writer, Kuhlmann, isn’t bitter. He understands that the current, more business-focused approach isn’t inherently bad, but it’s just not what he prefers. He believes it’s probably for the best that he isn’t directing the story of The Elder Scrolls 6. He had envisioned a dramatic, cliffhanger ending similar to The Empire Strikes Back, but acknowledges that Bethesda’s slow development schedule wouldn’t support such a conclusion. Considering TES 6 was announced seven years ago and it’s been fourteen years since Skyrim, leaving fans on a cliffhanger for a long time until TES 7 would be frustrating. Like other fans, Kuhlmann will now wait to see how the story unfolds.

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2026-01-16 18:34