Obsidian’s Lead Reveals Bethesda’s Rejection Of Numerous Elder Scrolls Spin-off Pitches

Bethesda reportedly declined multiple proposals from Obsidian for the development of additional Fallout games and spin-offs for The Elder Scrolls.

Chris Avellone, co-founder and former chief creative officer at Obsidian, confirmed this information way back but has since resurfaced on X and was initially reported by 80 Level.

.@ChrisAvellone on the fact why there never were more "spinoff" games for Elder Scrolls/Fallout aside from Fallout New Vegas.?#Fallout #TESVI #theElderScrolls #ChrisAvellone pic.twitter.com/bqzoAcPXLF

— nostalgia.haze (@nostalgia_haze) December 14, 2023

Despite having created the 2010 game New Vegas, Obsidian sought to work on more Fallout entries and a game within Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series. Avellone revealed that various pitches, including one for an Elder Scrolls project he proposed, were turned down by Bethesda.

The proposed Elder Scrolls project aimed to fill the gap between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, providing more adventures in the game’s setting in the years preceding Bethesda’s next release.

The latest mainline Fallout game is Fallout 4 from 2015, and the most recent non-mobile series entry is Fallout 76 from 2018. Todd Howard of Bethesda expressed hesitancy in outsourcing Fallout 5 in 2021, emphasizing the series’ significance to the studio.

While not ruling out collaboration with other studios entirely, Howard indicated a preference for keeping Fallout within Bethesda. He mentioned having plans outlined for Fallout 5 but clarified that it was in the studio’s production queue after Elder Scrolls 6, which was also reconfirmed last year.