Ex-Bethesda Lead Artist: The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 Face Tough Challenge with High Fan Expectations

Nate Purkeypile, the former lead artist at Bethesda, believes that the teams working on The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are facing an uphill battle due to the immense expectations surrounding these titles. This pressure is one of the reasons he decided to leave Bethesda.

Aside from GTA 6, it’s tough to find a game that has generated as much excitement as The Elder Scrolls 6. With its release likely not happening until 2035, Fallout 5 is also set to be a highly anticipated title.

After the mixed reactions to Fallout 4 and the backlash against Starfield from many players, the stakes are even higher for the upcoming games. The longer fans have to wait, the more intense the pressure will become for these sequels to meet expectations.

In a conversation with an outlet, Purkeypile was asked if he thinks the development teams for both games are in a no-win scenario given the long wait. He responded, “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?”

He expressed hope for the new titles, saying, “If they do, great! And I hope it’s a great game,” but also noted that even if the games are on par with Skyrim, they will likely face a wave of criticism. “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.”

Purkeypile also mentioned, “I don’t think Bethesda hates Fallout; they just don’t fully understand its roots.”