The Skyrim lead dev’s take on Morrowind has me really worried about Elder Scrolls 6

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So, I was reading an interview with Bruce Nesmith, one of the lead devs on Skyrim, and he said some pretty harsh things about Morrowind. Basically, he thinks people only love it because they’re remembering it fondly, and if they played it now, they wouldn’t enjoy how complicated and old-fashioned it is. It got me thinking – if Bethesda agrees with him, that doesn’t sound promising for The Elder Scrolls 6, does it? I mean, if they’re scared of making a game too complex, will TES6 be watered down?

Skyrim is Bethesda’s biggest game, but it’s not even the best game of its year.

Bethesda executives understandably want the next Elder Scrolls game to be as successful as Skyrim, but simply recreating Skyrim won’t achieve that. Skyrim was a huge hit, but that success was likely due to a combination of factors: it followed two well-received games (Morrowind and Oblivion) and launched during a major expansion of the gaming market in the 2010s. While Skyrim’s combat was an improvement over Morrowind, many players criticized it for having simplistic gameplay and a somewhat empty world, even considering its icy setting.

The internet is full of opinions, and even with a hugely popular game selling tens of millions of copies, you’ll always find criticism – sometimes even from automated accounts. But to understand why some people prefer Dark Souls over Skyrim, let’s look back at an old article listing the top five reasons.

I remember reading this take a while back, and it was pretty interesting. They were actually arguing that Dark Souls was better than Skyrim because of how challenging and intricate the levels were. It was a brave opinion at the time, honestly, since Dark Souls hadn’t become the massive hit it is now and everyone was still obsessed with Skyrim.

I remember reading about Demon’s Souls even before Dark Souls came out. It was pretty clear to me then that Dark Souls was going to take everything people loved about Demon’s Souls and just more of it. Skyrim, though? It felt like they were simplifying things compared to Morrowind, losing some of that depth.

For me, the difficulty in Dark Souls makes it a more satisfying game, but what really sets it apart is how similar it is to Morrowind, rather than Skyrim. Interestingly, the Souls games have also been commercially successful. It makes you wonder how well Skyrim would have done if it had taken more after Morrowind.

While I think Bethesda should concentrate on creating new games instead of remastering Morrowind, it’s clear the game is still popular. The ongoing activity and numerous fan-made remasters prove people definitely still enjoy it.

Many people, including Larian’s Michael Douse, disagreed with Nesmith’s opinion. Douse even said a remake of Morrowind with updated combat would be incredibly popular.

Nesmith discussed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and its updated version, noting that while the remaster isn’t as dated, it still shows its age. Despite good sales, he thinks players mostly bought it for nostalgia, revisiting favorite locations before losing interest. It’s likely many stopped playing because the game feels outdated, and Oblivion also has a relatively short main story, which experienced players can finish quickly. The remaster is known for performance problems, which could also explain why people stopped playing. Ultimately, though, modern gamers might simply find the game lacks the depth and challenge needed to keep them engaged, especially if they’re already skilled at it.

Any reading on modern gaming history shows that players want to pay AAA money for rich and complex experiences

I’ve noticed a trend with the games I really love – titles like Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, and even Expedition 33. They all do really well because, honestly, gamers want a challenge and enjoy getting into complex systems. We really don’t like it when games are overly simplified. It’s weird, because the big publishers seem to think we do! Like, look at Fallout – people started to get less excited after Fallout 3 simplified things from Fallout 2, and then Fallout 4 just watered it down even more. It’s like they’re not listening to what we actually want.

Gamers appreciate games that test their existing skills while also introducing fresh, unexpected challenges. For example, two years ago, the demand for turn-based games featuring active parrying wasn’t apparent. Now, thanks to innovative games like Expedition 33, which brought a dynamic, action-oriented approach to the genre, it’s possible we’ll see fewer traditional turn-based RPGs.

We’ll always love RPGs that are challenging and offer a lot of depth, with large worlds to explore and secrets to uncover. I think a game like Skyrim would have a harder time finding success today if it were a brand new release, even though people continue to buy it regularly due to its established popularity.

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2026-02-10 18:18