Bethesda at E3: what have we learnt?

Bethesda certainly didn’t disappoint in their first ever E3 press conference, making some huge crowd-pleasing announcements, some surprising, some more expected. But what do these announcements mean for Bethesda, and what do they mean for us?

One thing to take away is the fact that they seem to be listening to the fans and taking on board what they want. One of the most popular announcements of their press conference was the revelation that the much-anticipated Fallout 4 will support PC mods on the Xbox. Users will be able to create their mods on their computer and transfer it over easily to their Xbox game, with a spokesman saying there will be very little regulation, allowing players to have free reign. Modding is very much an art form these days and it’s nice to see Bethesda embrace the creativity rather than stifle it.

We have also discovered that they are beginning to branch out. Two free-to-play games were announced at the E3 press conference; Fallout Shelter, a strategy game available now for iOS and Android, and Elder Scrolls Legends, a digital strategy card game coming to PC and iPad later this year. These two games are Bethesda’s first foray into the world of FTP gaming which, like it or not, is an incredibly popular part of the industry. The developers have been releasing games since 1986 and it’s refreshing to see them still looking for ways to grow. 

We can also see the ambition Bethesda have. The games they mentioned at the press conference are some of the biggest game franchises in history. They are rebooting Doom, one of the most influencing first person shooters in the world. There is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Dishonored. And, to somewhat of a fanfare, the followup to IGN’s Game of E3 2007 was also officially announced – Fallout 4. Bethesda have announced sequels to hugely popular and hugely intricate games. To do them justice will require making them bigger and better before, whilst still keeping the soul of the games that made them so popular with the fans. 

If there’s one thing to take away from the press conference, though, it’s that the next year is going to be huge for Bethesda.