Following the release of Starfield in 2023, Bethesda has started active development of The Elder Scrolls 6, but the company is still working on additional updates to pre-existing games. While the company has promised further Starfield updates, Bethesda Game Studios lead Todd Howard has confirmed that Fallout 76 is getting more attention than the maligned sci-fi RPG.
In an interview with Future Games Show, Howard explained that Fallout 76 is the “game we’re still doing the most work in”. Earlier this year, the team released the game’s biggest update ever, Burning Springs, with a brand-new area, storyline and more.
While Fallout 76 won’t be adding major technical features like cross-play and cross-progression, the team is still working on years of additional updates for the game as an official Fallout 5 is seemingly planned to start development after The Elder Scrolls 6. (At least Fallout 3 Remastered is in the works?)
“I have to say Fallout 76 right now, it’s the game we’re still doing the most work in,” Howard said. “The Burning Springs update just came out. The ghoul is in the game, so if you’re watching the show and you think, ‘I want to experience that’, 76 right now is just awesome, and you’re gonna meet other players in the community.”
Obviously, the development of The Elder Scrolls 6 is taking up the majority of resources at Bethesda Game Studios’ main team while Fallout 76 continues under the company’s Austin-based team, but Howard’s comments make it sound like work on Starfield is almost over.
Following the game’s first expansion, Shattered Space, dataminers found references to new updates that teased better space travel and other additions. This was backed by veteran Bethesda developer Tim Lamb who teased more DLC story and a major update for the RPG on the studio’s official YouTube channel.
“I think as it comes to Starfield, I’m really excited for players to see what the teams have been working on,” Lamb said. “We have some cool stuff coming, including free updates and features the players have been asking for, as well as a new DLC story.
“I can’t go into all the details just yet, but I will say part of the team has been focused on space gameplay to make the travels there more rewarding. We’re also adding some new game systems, and a few other smaller delights. There’s also some really interesting stuff coming down the pipe from our verified creators. There’s some fun stuff.”
Unfortunately, Starfield’s next major update is still missing-in-action at the time of publication with no indication from Bethesda as to when fans can expect it, if at all. However, considering Todd Howard’s penchant for shadowdrops nowadays, it will probably release when we least expect it… again, if it does launch.
