The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim’s Co-Lead Lead Designer Wanted Cliffhanger Ending in The Elder Scrolls 6

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Kurt Kuhlmann, a co-lead designer on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim at Bethesda, recently shared some surprising ideas he had for the next game, The Elder Scrolls 6. In an interview with PCGamer, he explained that he envisioned a cliffhanger ending for the 2011 RPG’s sequel, designed to directly lead into The Elder Scrolls 7. He likened his vision for The Elder Scrolls 6 to the iconic Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.

He explained that he originally envisioned TES6 following a similar pattern to The Empire Strikes Back. Specifically, he planned to gradually establish the Thalmor, a group of elf supremacists, as the primary villains for The Elder Scrolls 7. This would largely happen throughout TES6, focusing on their desire to conquer all of Tamriel.

He admitted that a cliffhanger ending like this wouldn’t typically happen in a Bethesda game, calling it unrealistic. He explained that this is particularly true considering how long the studio takes to develop its games. He added that ending a game on such a note and telling players they might have to wait 10 to 15 years for a resolution isn’t a good approach.

Later in the interview, Kuhlmann discussed how Bethesda’s game development culture had evolved since The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim came out. He explained that while experienced developers used to work directly on the game, they gradually transitioned into management positions. Kuhlmann felt this made things “more bureaucratic,” adding that the expectation became that managers wouldn’t also be creating content for such a large project.

Ultimately, he left because the studio’s priorities changed, and he wasn’t going to be the lead designer on The Elder Scrolls 6. Todd Howard had told him that after finishing Fallout 4, they would begin working on The Elder Scrolls 6. Instead, they decided to create Fallout 76, a multiplayer game, followed by Starfield.

I was one of the most experienced people on the team, having co-led Skyrim with Bruce [Nesmith]. Given the success of that project, I naturally assumed I’d be leading TES6 – and I’d even been told that was the plan. However, the decision was ultimately made that I wouldn’t be leading the project.

Despite the initial announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6 in 2018, there haven’t been any new updates about the game. However, Todd Howard mentioned in December that development is going smoothly. Emil Pagliarulo, the design director, understands fans are eager for news and has asked for their patience.

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2026-01-16 14:45