Kurt Kuhlmann: Bethesda blocked an Elder Scrolls spin-off

According to Kuhlmann, Bethesda wanted to avoid creating a Fallout: New Vegas-style comparison point within The Elder Scrolls.
The comments come as Skyrim turns 11 years old and The Elder Scrolls 6 is still in development at Bethesda Game Studios.

What happened

Kurt Kuhlmann told Eurogamer that Bethesda never seriously considered an external studio for a spin-off that would sit close to The Elder Scrolls mainline formula. Kuhlmann worked on Skyrim and previously served as an Elder Scrolls loremaster at Bethesda, so his comments come from someone who knew the franchise from the inside.

In his recollection, Kuhlmann describes a company that guarded The Elder Scrolls closely. He says Bethesda, and especially Todd Howard, did not want a situation where fans would start comparing different studios, as often happens around Fallout: New Vegas from Obsidian. That comparison matters because Fallout: New Vegas is frequently held up as a benchmark within the Fallout series precisely because it was not made by Bethesda Game Studios itself.

The timing of the remarks is notable because Skyrim launched in 2011 and The Elder Scrolls 6 still has not been released. Kuhlmann also suggests that The Elder Scrolls Online may have helped ease pressure on the franchise in the years since by providing an ongoing Elder Scrolls product. In the available context, however, that is presented as an interpretation of his comments rather than an official Bethesda plan.

The source also frames the comments clearly as a retrospective. This is a former developer looking back, not a new announcement from Bethesda Softworks or Bethesda Game Studios. As a result, it remains unclear whether a concrete external Elder Scrolls project was ever proposed, discussed internally, or rejected, or whether Kuhlmann is mainly describing how Bethesda viewed the franchise.

Timeline

November 11, 2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim launches worldwide on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
2026-09-25: Eurogamer publishes an article about Kuhlmann’s comments on Bethesda’s reluctance to back an external Elder Scrolls spin-off.
2026-09-25: In the same context, it is noted that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still in development.
2026-09-25: Fallout: New Vegas is used as the comparison point to explain why Bethesda, according to Kuhlmann, wanted to avoid studio comparisons.
2026-09-25: The Elder Scrolls Online is mentioned as an ongoing Elder Scrolls product that kept the franchise visible in the meantime.

Background

Fallout: New Vegas is used in the article as the comparison because the game was made by Obsidian and is often treated as a benchmark within the Fallout series. Kuhlmann says Bethesda wanted to avoid a similar debate around The Elder Scrolls, where an outside studio would inevitably be measured against Bethesda Game Studios. That is an important detail, because it suggests the concern was not just about a single spin-off, but about the reputation of the main series itself.

The source presents Kuhlmann’s remarks as a retrospective, not an official Bethesda statement. That means it is still unclear whether a specific external Elder Scrolls project was ever proposed or rejected, or whether this is mainly his interpretation of the company’s attitude. The available context does not name a studio that would have handled such a project, and it does not give a date for any discussion.

Kuhlmann is described in context as a former Elder Scrolls loremaster and a developer who worked on Skyrim. That makes his comments relevant to franchise history, but it does not automatically mean he is quoting a formal Bethesda decision. The wording in the source instead points to a personal recollection of how Bethesda protected the series.

The reference to The Elder Scrolls Online is also handled cautiously. In the available information, ESO is said to have potentially reduced pressure on the franchise during the long gap between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6. Because the source does not present that as official company policy, it remains an interpretation rather than a confirmed strategic decision.

The long gap is relevant too. Skyrim released on November 11, 2011, while The Elder Scrolls 6 is still in development in the context of the article. That makes the question of an external spin-off more interesting, since a long wait between mainline entries often leaves room for side projects, but Bethesda, according to Kuhlmann, remained cautious about outsourcing a title that felt too close to the core series.