In an interview Fallout 4 director Todd Howard had at D.I.C.E. 2016, he spoke about what the team at Bethesda Game Studios are working on. When asked directly he teased something many people probably were not expecting,
“We actually have three kind of longer term projects we’re doing that are all – we’ll talk about them at a much future date – but they’re different than anything we’ve done before, while also being a Bethesda-style game.
Being different but still a "Bethesda-style game" does seem to conflict. But for the past few years now Bethesda Game Studios seem to have fallen into the routine of alternating between the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. With three titles it might be possible we will be seeing new IP from the studio,
“Big and crazy, but in many ways different than things we’ve done before. It’s an exciting time.”
Bethesda aren't to type of developer to explicit talk about games until they are ready to. We sadly most likely wont hear anything about these projects until a later date. Bethesda will be having another E3 press conference this year and all these new projects could make for an interesting show.
The full talk where Todd Howard was interviewed by comedian Pete Holmes can be seen here on YouTube.
One of the main criticism from people about Fallout 4 was just how similar it was to the series previous installment in many ways. It seemed to have become very formulaic in how the game was designed. This is what Todd Howard might be referring to when he says "different than anything we’ve done before, while also being a Bethesda-style game". Managing to keep some of their own style of game design but make it feel new and unique. A challenge that seems like it would be very difficult.
Bethesda did try to focus on some new things for Fallout 4, having a bigger focus on narrative with the players character speaking was a huge departure from their previous games. Some people felt this took player identity and choice away from the player. It does show Bethesda are willing to make big changes to what is already established.
Todd Howard did make it clear that the team is currently focused on finishing the previously announced Fallout 4 add-ons: Automatron, Wasteland Work Shop and Far Harbor.
How do you feel about Bethesda's secretive new projects? Do you want something that feels different from the Elder Scrolls developer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
