The History of Bethesda Games - All Bethesda Game Studios Developed Games
Published on 16th August 2023 by Jimmy Bennett
Bethesda is one of the biggest names in gaming, creating a global event whenever they announce and unveil a new game. With Bethesda’s latest game, Starfield, it’s the perfect time to take a look back at the immensely successful video game company.
Bethesda is broken up into two arms, a publishing division, known as Bethesda Softworks, and their first-party development studio, called Bethesda Game Studios. Bethesda Game Studios has had an extremely prolific output since its formation back in 2001. It’s these first-party games we’re going to take a look at in this blog, breaking down the releases of one of gaming’s most successful studios.
2002 - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls series had begun nearly a decade before the third instalment’s release and had proved a tricky title for Bethesda Softworks. Due to developmental delays, Bethesda missed the Christmas 1993 deadline they were aiming for, and instead released in Q1 of the following year, a period known for poor sales. Nevertheless, they weathered the storm and through positive word of mouth, the game eventually became a success, leading to the release of a sequel in 1996.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind however, was the series' first breakout success. Embracing an open-world design that focused less on the main plotline, players were treated to a vast and detailed setting that allowed for hours of exploration. The game sold millions of copies and reviews were full of praise, establishing itself as one of the greatest games of all time. Morrowind is the Bethesda Game Studios title that launched the Elder Scrolls games to new heights.
2004 & 2006 - IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 & IHRA Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition
Bethesda dipped its toes into the racing simulation genre with IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 was released to little fanfare.
The release of IHRA Drag Racing: Sportsman Edition continued a very quiet spell for the Bethesda Game Studios team, who at this time was focusing the majority of resources on their next project.
2006 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Work began on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion almost as soon as Morrowind was released back in 2002. Having pushed the boundaries of the RPG genre, as well as gaming technology, they aimed to go even further with the next entry. As a result, much attention was placed towards the graphics engine, improving the lighting, physics & terrain greatly. At the same time, the AI was overhauled, giving characters much more agency and decision-making ability than before.
Oblivion blew reviewers and gamers in general away on release, being a massive evolution over the predecessor. The improved graphics, expanded gameplay features and the expansive world all received universal acclaim. It showed Bethesda’s commitment to pushing technology further with each entry, helping cement its reputation as a major game studio.
2008 - Fallout 3
Bethesda Game Studios proved itself a force to be reckoned with once again when they released Fallout 3 in 2008. Having been developed by another studio before being cancelled, a new Fallout game was much anticipated by the public who were curious to see how the series would fare being developed by a new studio. Changing the series signature top-down, perspective, for a more immersive first-person approach, Bethesda took the world by storm with this breakout hit.
Fallout 3 was instantly hailed as a crowning achievement for Bethesda Game Studios, becoming a sensational critical and commercial success. Widely praised for an expansive and detailed open world, as well as a layered levelling system, Fallout 3 set a new standard for both RPG and Bethesda games moving forward. Its reputation continues to this day where it frequently appears on lists of the best video games of all time. It proved that Bethesda could replicate the winning formula they’d set out with Oblivion.
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Hot off of a runaway success, Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios turned their attention back to their routes, focusing on creating a new Elder Scrolls entry. Having learned many lessons during the development of Fallout 3, they had a wealth of new technology to bring to The Elder Scrolls Series. However, the current game engine was at the limits of its potential, leading the team to create a new engine: the Creation Engine.
Highly anticipated off of the back of Fallout 3, Skyrim was a huge success when it launched, selling more than 7 million copies in its first week. Like Bethesda Game Studios other video game releases, however, it wasn't just a commercial success, with critical feedback being just as positive. Skyrim has proved itself as the most enduring release from Bethesda to date, having seen numerous re-releases on the Nintendo Switch, VR, PS5 and Xbox Series S & Xbox Series X consoles since.
2015 - Fallout 4
Development began on Fallout 4 very shortly after the release of the previous game, with the setting moving to Boston and Massachusetts. Fallout 4 had the benefit of being built in the Creation engine like Skyrim before it, making for much-improved visuals and new technical capabilities such as a vastly improved character creation system as well as a crafting and base-building system.
Like many other Bethesda games, Fallout 4 was warmly received, with praise going towards the sheer amount of content, resulting in player freedom and new systems introduced which differentiated the game from past entries. By this time, Bethesda had a truly solid reputation for the quality of their games which helped Fallout 4 sell over 1.2 million copies on the first day of its launch. While the exact number of units sold isn’t confirmed, Fallout 4 saw another massive success.
2018 - Fallout 76
A big change of direction for Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 76 was the studio’s first multiplayer game, providing a whole new challenge for the team. Modifying the Creation engine and tailoring it for a multiplayer experience. The team also planned to create a map four times the size of Fallout 4, bringing with it a wealth of detail and content for gamers to explore.
Fallout 76 didn’t have as smooth a launch as other Bethesda games, encountering a number of technical difficulties resulting from its ambitious design and development. Over time, more support has been given to the game, greatly expanding the world and smoothing out the technical issues, improving its reception.
2023 - Starfield
This year, Bethesda Game Studios releases perhaps the most ambitious entry to date with the highly anticipated Starfield. The first new universe created by Bethesda in over 35 years, Starfield is a new chapter in gaming for the developers. Having been developed since 2015 and the release of Fallout 4, Starfield will be the first Bethesda game to use their new engine, Creation Engine 2.
Starfield promises to take players into the stars and beyond, with over 1000 planets to explore. With expanded character creation, as well as the ability to run and customise your own spacecraft, Starfield will allow players to explore new possibilities.