Because we've been waiting what feels like an eternity for The Elder Scrolls 6, there have been suggestions that Bethesda might be moving on from its creaky old Creation Engine — but that won't be the case.
In a fresh interview with Kinda Funny — which is throwing out all kinds of juicy quotes — Bethesda boss Todd Howard confirms that its in-development RPG is built on the same fundamental tech that brought us 2011's Skyrim (and 2006's Oblivion, and 2002's Morrowind, and...).
Now look, it's disingenuous to say that the studio's trademark engine is exactly as it was over two decades ago. Bethesda's poured a lot of time and resources into reshaping what was once the Gamebryo engine into its proprietary Creation Engine, upgrading it across the board.
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But any Bethesda fan will still tell you of technical limitations that have persisted across all of the developer's games.
Things like a continued dependence on load screens to separate individual locations or 'cells', and questionable NPC behaviours remain common criticisms, with these recurring issues — and more — showing up in 2023's Starfield.
To be fair to Howard, though, he does clarify that The Elder Scrolls 6 will use a new version of the Creation Engine (as you'd rightly hope): "We’ve spent the last several years bringing Creation Engine 2, which powers Starfield, up to Creation Engine 3, which is going to power Elder Scrolls 6 and beyond."
With that in mind, we obviously don't know what upgrades Bethesda has implemented — but we can't help but be a little cynical given the studio's history. We're certainly not expecting this third iteration of the engine to suddenly revolutionise the developer's output.
So, it seems Bethesda's choice of engine will continue to be a point of discussion for a long while yet. Some would argue that the Creation Engine is part of what makes a Bethesda title feel like a Bethesda title, and we totally understand that — but at the same time, we're sure that plenty of other onlookers would prefer a more... modern approach.
Where do you stand on Bethesda's engine? What are your hopes for The Elder Scrolls 6, and the potential improvements of Creation Engine 3? Hit a loading screen before posting in the comments section below.