Summary
- Starfield's lukewarm reception may be improved by the upcoming expansion, "Shattered Space," set to release in early 2024.
- Bethesda's future plans mainly consist of the highly anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6, with little information available and a likely release date of no sooner than 2026. No updates should be expected in 2024.
- Bethesda is rumored to be publishing Wolfenstein 3 and working on a new Doom game, but no official announcements have been made, and leaked information should be taken with a grain of salt. Ultimately, it seems like 2024 will be a quiet year for Bethesda.
Bethesda may not have had the greatest year in 2023, but it could have been a lot worse. Starfield was mostly well-received but ultimately didn't resonate with fans as well as the company had hoped. On the publishing side, the much-hyped Redfall was viewed as a disappointment. It's now time to close the book on 2023 and look ahead to 2024, and though little is known about what Bethesda has planned, there are a few things on the cards for 2024.
Starfield Might Finally Take Off in 2024
The discourse around Bethesda's latest big game has been interesting to watch. It has received praise from critics, but there are those who believe Starfield left much to be desired, as shown by the number of negative user reviews steadily increasing. Fortunately, though there is no release date, there is a planned expansion for Starfield titled "Shattered Space" that could reignite interest in the RPG. It has been announced for early 2024.
For the moment, Bethesda is keeping a tight lid on any details about "Shattered Space," as nothing is known beyond the fact that it exists. It is hoped that "Shattered Space" will help Starfield recover from the lukewarm reception it has received from outspoken fans as of late, with many hoping to see a recovery for the game that is comparable to Cyberpunk 2077.
2024 is Unlikely to Provide Much Info on Bethesda's Upcoming Games
The Elder Scrolls 6 is almost guaranteed to be a no-show in 2024, and Fallout 5 is out of the question. The Elder Scrolls 6 was in pre-production in 2022 according to Todd Howard, who also said that Bethesda did not have any plans to work on a new Fallout game until TES6 is complete.
Beyond Starfield, this is all that Bethesda has made public about its future plans; The Elder Scrolls 6 was officially announced back in 2018, and little has been revealed about it since then. More about The Elder Scrolls 6 could be revealed in the course of 2024, but with the game expected to release no sooner than 2026, Bethesda may instead choose to play its cards close to its chest until it can lock down a solid release window.
Fallout 5 could be in the very early planning stages, but unless there have been significant changes, Bethesda intends to develop it after TES6 is released. There's no telling when it may arrive, and it will almost certainly be more than 10 years after Fallout 4 released. On the bright side, a next-gen update for Fallout 4 can be expected for PS5 and Xbox Series X at some point in 2024, potentially coinciding with the debut of the Amazon series.
2024 Can Still Be a Good Year For Games Published By Bethesda
Leaked and Rumored Bethesda Games Could Be Unveiled in 2024
Earlier in 2023, Some information about Bethesda's future plans was leaked through the battle between Microsoft and Sony over the former's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. These internal documents from Microsoft should not be taken as fact since they were never intentionally released to the public, but nevertheless they mention a remaster of Oblivion. This could be a nice surprise in 2024, but there's no way of knowing if the game even exists until it is officially announced.
Arkane Studios Lyon is known to be working on Blade, a game based on the adventures of Marvel's vampire hunting anti-hero. This title was not given a release date, so it's anyone's guess when it will be released, though it is expected to be a few years away. Dishonored 3 was also mentioned in the FTC leaks, presumably to be developed by Arkane, but there is no official announcement to confirm it. Other than that, Bethesda is known to be publishing Wolfenstein 3 as developed by MachineGames at some point in the future. MachineGames is also working on the upcoming Indiana Jones game, though it is not clear which is releasing first.
If the FTC leaks are to be believed, there may be a new Doom game in the works. Doom: Year Zero is a title that popped up in Microsoft's internal documents, but there is no evidence to suggest that the game is in development. There were four years between the 2016 reboot of the Doom franchise and Doom Eternal, but this doesn't mean that 2024 is the year for another game in the franchise. Doom Eternal was announced 2 years before it released at E3 2018.
The Microsoft FTC leaks comprised of internal information from Microsoft that was made public during the legal proceedings, and were not intended for public scrutiny. The documents detail the company's game development and release schedule, but it must be noted that the information is somewhat dated.
2024 Could Ultimately Be a Quiet Year For Bethesda
Xbox and Bethesda hosted a presentation together in early 2023, on the 25th of January to be exact, where various games were showcased including Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush which was launched that same day after the possibility of any surprises was downplayed by Xbox personnel. There will probably be a similar event hosted in early 2024 where more information about Bethesda's future plans is revealed, but there is no guarantee that it has any surprises this year. There are loads of possibilities, but its probably safest to assume that 2024 might not be an eventful year for Bethesda, both as a developer and a publisher.
- Date Founded
- June 28, 1986
- CEO
- Todd Howard
- Parent Company
- Microsoft
- Subsidiaries
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Headquarters
- Rockville, Maryland, United States
- Known For
- The Elder Scrolls, Dishonored, DOOM
Bethesda is an American game development studio based in Maryland. They're best known for the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. ZeniMax Media, Bethesda's parent company, was acquired by Microsoft in 2021, which then made it a part of Xbox Game Studios.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info