Fallout works as a TV show because it's "unique," says Skyrim lead – but Bethesda's other RPG series might not: "Do they really need marketing for Elder Scrolls 6?"

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Fallout works as a TV show because it's "unique," says Skyrim lead – but Bethesda's other RPG series might not: "Do they really need marketing for Elder Scrolls 6?" News By Anna Koselke published 2 February 2026

"There is nothing like the Fallout universe anywhere else"

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The Fallout TV show has drawn fans into its post-apocalyptic chaos and attracted plenty of folks new to the games and universe from Bethesda Game Studios – but how would a similar televised version of The Elder Scrolls series fare?

Todd Howard, the Bethesda boss himself, has previously said that an Elder Scrolls TV series like Fallout's "can't be ruled out" – but not everyone thinks that it should actually happen. Bruce Nesmith, former Skyrim lead and studio veteran, is one such individual, it seems. Speaking in a recent interview with Press Box PR, Nesmith reveals as much when asked about a potential Elder Scrolls show coming after Fallout's success.

"What you have to realize about things like the Fallout TV show is that they don't make Bethesda money directly," he begins. "I would be shocked if Bethesda is making any money that they care about really, not when you make literally billions of dollars on Skyrim. What you're going to make by licensing the IP to this TV show is just peanuts." Direct revenue isn't the only motivating factor, however. There's also the audience itself. As Nesmith puts it, "But what it does get you is attention. What it gets you is notoriety. It's marketing." That might not be something The Elder Scrolls series needs, though – especially with The Elder Scrolls 6 somewhere on the horizon. "Do they really need marketing for Elder Scrolls 6?" Nesmith wonders. It's easy to say that Bethesda doesn't, but the ex-series developer offers another reason a TV series might not work as well as it did for Fallout.

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"I also think there's something very special and different and unique about Fallout that lends itself to becoming a TV or movie experience, whereas The Elder Scrolls is trying to be a standard kind of fantasy," he explains. "That's not as interesting, not in this day and age where you already have The Lord of the Rings movies. We've got Game of Thrones. You'd have to try to find something to lean into that would be special about it."

Nesmith continues: "You look at Fallout, everything is special about it. There is nothing like the Fallout universe anywhere else in gaming. It's very unique. That makes it easy to make a TV show and draw eyeballs as opposed to going into a fantasy world where I've got elves and people throwing spells around. You'd have to raise those stakes. There's a dragon? I've seen dragons 20 times before. What are you giving to viewers that's new?"

I suppose I understand where he's coming from as both a fantasy fanatic and an Elder Scrolls stan myself, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work at all. Nesmith suggests other mediums as a possible middle ground himself. "Different media have different needs, and I don't know that The Elder Scrolls would fit that media well," he states. "Maybe a movie, but I would struggle to see a TV show." Regardless, he still thinks it'd be "for promotional purposes."

I'm not sure how I feel: the Fallout series certainly is "unique," as Nesmith says, thanks to its components, and The Elder Scrolls is more run-of-the-mill fantasy. But there's still plenty to love and set it apart. Just look at Morrowind and its quirky humor.

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TOPICS Bethesda Softworks Bethesda Game Studios CATEGORIES PC Gaming Xbox Series X Xbox One PS5 PS4 Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch Platforms Xbox PlayStation Nintendo PRODUCTS The Elder Scrolls 6 Skyrim The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered Anna KoselkeSocial Links NavigationStaff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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Logout Read more After the success of Fallout, Bethesda boss Todd Howard says an Elder Scrolls TV series "can't be ruled out"    Fallout: London lead thinks Bethesda has "probably gone one game too far" with Elder Scrolls and Fallout    Bethesda lead explains the biggest difference between writing Skyrim and Fallout is how you piece together the story    Bethesda devs love switching between Elder Scrolls and Fallout because going from fantasy to sci-fi "keeps things fresh"    Fallout's TV adaptation is "way more" popular than Todd Howard expected, so the RPG series' devs have had to ensure "the games are ready for all the players who are coming into them"    Todd Howard wants fans of the Fallout TV show to try Fallout 76: "It's the game we're still going the most work in    Latest in The Elder Scrolls Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity dev says Morrowind with a modern combat system "would sell like f***ing hot cakes"    "Go back and play Morrowind and tell me that's the game you want to play again," says Skyrim lead: "You will cringe"    Ex-Skyrim lead guesses The Elder Scrolls 6's story "will leave it undefined or leave it as neither side really won"    Skyrim lead says Game of Thrones author should say HBO "finished my work and now I want to do something new"    Oblivion Remastered's wildest bug made me choose between losing achievements or living as a fugitive    The Elder Scrolls 6 setting may have been decided when Bethesda was working on Fallout 4, former Skyrim lead teases    Latest in News Fallout worked as a TV show because it's "unique," says former Skyrim lead – but The Elder Scrolls series might not    Divinity director Swen Vincke has no choice but to discuss the ending of Larian's new RPG after a 19 roll for Persuasion    Helldivers 2 writer had 7 days to find face of the franchise John Helldiver, the "most insincere" man in the galaxy    Doom might never have happened if id Software's followed the easy money its 2D platformers were making    Fallout 76 is going to get "thicker" this year, teases lead, who says Bethesda isn't just making the map bigger anymore    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms young star didn't initially grasp the significance of his big episode 3 reveal    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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