If there was one major complaint about Starfield when it launched in 2023, it was that many aspects of the game felt dated, leaning on aging Bethesda Creation Engine tech. Yes, the engine had been upgraded many times (this was the first game built on Creation Engine 2), and there were certainly some beautiful scenes in the game, so much of it felt overly familiar from years-old Bethesda games that players wondered if it was time for a change.
At least one former Bethesda dev agrees, Nate Purkeypile, a Lead Artist who worked on Starfield, Fallout and Skyrim, and has now set up his own studio. In a recent interview with KIWI TALKZ, he explained why he thinks it’s time for Bethesda to move over to Unreal Engine 5 after all this time:
“I think it’s pretty telling that there are some studios with similar tech that have made that leap lately like CD Projekt Red…It’s not to say that it wouldn’t be a ton of work…sure, that’s completely true, it’s not like you’re just going to be able to start making the game, but when you have this large toolbase and large knowledgebase people could pull from, it’s easier to hire people and ramp up.”
“I’m of the opinion…that it’s easier to stay relevant and not always try to play catch-up. Like a lot of what was done on Starfield was trying to get all these rendering systems and animation systems up to snuff and it makes it hard to even actually make the game. The way I describe it to people is that you’re on a train, but also laying the train tracks at the same time…but it’s also on fire the entire time.”
There are no indications that Bethesda will be moving off the Creation Engine for future projects. Elder Scrolls VI will use Creation Engine 2, just like Starfield, which has drawn some concern among well, Starfield players, for one.
This is not a problem unique to Bethesda. Engine problems have been cited in a number of significant delays from companies ranging from EA (Frostbite Engine) to Bungie (Tiger Engine) with many fans saying “just switch to Unreal” and sometimes, they do. But as Purkeypile says, it’s not easy, and others say it’s not worth it. Here’s former Starfield systems designer Bruce Nesmith on the idea:
“[The Creation Engine has evolved] to do exactly the kinds of games that Bethesda makes: The Elder Scrolls, the Fallouts, Starfield. It’s perfectly tuned to that kind of game…That’s the penalty side. That’s the risk side.”
It seems pretty clear which side Bethesda has come down on, at least for the foreseeable future. We still do not have a date on Elder Scrolls VI yet, but the fact that it was announced in 2018, and we are heading into 2025, does not paint a picture of speedy development, exactly. But as Nesmith notes, you can also make great games and bad games on Unreal Engine, and Creation has certainly been responsible for some great ones. But is “laying down the tracks while on fire” sustainable into the indefinite future? I guess that’s a call Bethesda needs to make, and at least for now, has made.
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