Sorry Fallout fans, Bethesda has no plans to remaster anymore of its old games for the 21st Century. Known for publishing popular titles like Fallout, RAGE, and The Elder Scrolls, the video game giant won’t be delving into is back catalog for a dose of nostalgic gameplay - Bethesda wants fans to play its games how they were originally intended.
With the likes of SEGA hoping to cash in on a modern remastering of Shenmue and Capcom working on a new version of Resident Evil 2, the industry is rife with companies making a quick buck off already successful games. However, as Bethesda looks to the future with titles like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, the development team at Bethesda Game Studios is only focussing on what’s new.
Sitting down with The Guardian, Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard revealed that he prefers the sometimes rustic graphics and gameplay of older titles as they once were:
Remastering old titles may be big business, but Howard went on to explain why he prefers to play a game in its original form rather than giving it a flashy update:
“I’m happy that you can play [The Elder Scrolls III] Morrowind now on an Xbox One, as it’s backwards compatible. I’m really happy that Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and others are making it easier for people to play [older games] as they were played at the time. I actually prefer that over remasters.”
It sounds like bringing Skyrim to PS4, Xbox One, and the Switch may have been a rare opportunity for players to try out Bethesda’s gaming genius with a next-gen twist.
“I’d rather you play Morrowind the way it was … I think the age is part of its identity. For Skyrim Remastered, we had done some work on it but it was already pretty visually close. But for something like Morrowind, my personal preference is not to remaster it. We [also] get asked a lot to remaster [1997’s] Fallout 1, and I usually say, if you have a PC you can play Fallout the way it was. I think that’s how it should be."
Considering that the acclaimed Fallout 3 turns 20 this year, some of Bethesda Softworks’ legacy titles seem like they would be in a prime position for a modern update. It is also easy to see the potential of remasting something like the original Fallout in an era that the name is going from strength to strength. Elsewhere, rumors of a Fallout: New Vegas sequel have gone out the window alongside any ideas of an original remastering as Howard also confirmed Bethesda will continue to keep its development in-house for now.
It may be disappointing for fans of Bethesda’s biggest franchises, but there is no doubt that the company continues to be one of the most exciting publishers on the market. This year’s E3 was huge for the company and made Bethesda one of the expo’s biggest winners. While fans might have to dust off their old Xbox to play The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, it shouldn’t make it any less of a thrilling experience.
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Source: The Guardian
