Skyrim’s director believes sticking with the Creation Engine for future titles like Elder Scrolls 6 is a smarter choice, citing Fallout 76 as a challenge in engine transitions.

Bethesda Game Studios might want to stick with its reliable Creation Engine, despite fans advocating for a switch to something like Unreal Engine. This sentiment is echoed by Bruce Nesmith, a veteran designer from the studio and former lead on Skyrim.

In a recent chat, Nesmith highlighted the challenges of transitioning between game engines. “Switching engines is a monumental task,” he explained. “It requires a massive effort from dozens of people just to get the engine functioning.” The complexity of such a move is significant.

He elaborated on the implications for developers, noting, “When you switch engines, your team might not even be able to play or work on the game for extended periods because the new engine isn’t ready yet. That’s a huge hurdle.” He pointed to Fallout 76 as a prime example of these challenges, where the heavily modified Creation Engine had to undergo substantial changes to support multiplayer, complicating the development process.

Nesmith also emphasized the long-term investment Bethesda has made in refining the Creation Engine. “It’s been tailored to meet Bethesda’s needs for decades, so it makes more sense to continue enhancing it,” he said. “The advantages of switching to Unreal Engine might not be realized until two games down the line.” The improvements made to the Creation Engine are evident in every title Bethesda has released.

“Every game from Bethesda has seen significant upgrades to the Creation Engine,” he noted. “There’s a dedicated team focused solely on these enhancements. The benefit is that you can keep developing the game while using an existing engine, rather than trying to integrate a completely new one.”

Ultimately, Nesmith favors sticking with the Creation Engine. “I would advocate for continuing to develop the Creation Engine. If there’s something in Unreal that we want, we should find a way to implement it in our engine. If Unreal can do something that Creation can’t, and we feel it’s necessary, then we should pursue it.”

This approach makes sense—if Bethesda identifies features in another engine that appeal to them, adapting those features into their own engine is a more straightforward path than a complete overhaul. “The Creation Engine is much more than just a rendering engine,” he pointed out. “It’s a comprehensive system for converting data into functionality and graphics. You can’t just swap it out easily.”

This perspective is particularly relevant for upcoming titles like The Elder Scrolls 6, suggesting that a shift to a new engine is unlikely given the extensive work already invested in the Creation Engine.