Elder Scrolls game pitch from Fallout New Vegas developer reportedly didn't get very far with Bethesda

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Chris Avellone, one of the writers for Fallout New Vegas, has confirmed that the game's developer had a pitch for an Elder Scrolls game turned down by Bethesda.

A report from 80 Level dug up an old Twitter thread in which Avellone stated Fallout New Vegas's developer, Obsidian Entertainment, asked Bethesda "repeatedly" to work on more Elder Scrolls and Fallout spin-offs, all of which were rejected. Now, Avellone has taken to Twitter again to confirm: "This is true."

"One of the Elder Scrolls proposals (which I pitched)," says Avellone, "was intended to serve the same function as FNV did between F3 and F4, to provide more adventures in the setting during the years before the next Bethesda release."

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Avellone states that the purpose of this strategy was to provide a similar content release schedule, at the time, to that of Call of Duty, with Infinity Ward and Treyarch swapping over each year. Though Avellone adds he had hoped the swapping between Obsidian and Bethesda would feel "less rushed."

Avellone ends the thread by saying the pitch for an Obsidian-developed Elder Scrolls title "didn't gain much traction," adding that he "never got the impression Bethesda was happy with FNV's reception (good and bad)."

Fallout New Vegas was released in 2010 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. It was worked on by many of the original two Fallout games' staff and was received extremely positively by fans thanks to its earnest focus on storytelling and role-playing. It also had several quality-of-life features implemented over Fallout 3 including true iron sights, more meaningful perks, weapon modding, and a built-in optional survival mode.

While it's a shame we never got any more Fallout or Elder Scrolls titles from Obsidian, the developer's recent run of form has sat well with fans and critics alike, with The Outer Worlds and Pentiment enjoying positive reception. In 2024, Obsidian will release Avowed, its take on the Elder Scrolls formula set in the Pillars of Eternity universe.

For more excellent titles like Fallout New Vegas, consider checking out our guide to the best RPGs you can play this right now.

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Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.