We’ve seen a good number of people debating whether there will be any DLC after Dragonborn.
Bethesda’s Post-Dragonborn Skyrim DLC
The two Elder Scrolls games other than Skyrim had only two major DLC each, Bloodmoon and Tribunal for Morrowind, and Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles for Oblivion.
Of course, Morrowind had no other DLC (however small) or plug-ins, and Oblivion had so many small DLC or plug-ins it rivaled Napoleon Total War, Spell Tomes, Horse Armor, various house DLCs, etc.
That means it is tempting to see a pattern that there will only be two “major” (as in, massive amount of additional content) DLCs, and the rest (if they will ever be released) will be on a Hearthfires-or-smaller scale.
Like adding a new weapon or a new color for a weapon or a script to pick up a new book and obtain a weapon (like spell tomes but for warrior characters). Yes that’s possible but we’ll get another couple DLC.
DLC will continue to be released as long as Bethesda makes a healthy profit from them. There will be another DLC for Skyrim, at least, if not more than one more DLC.
Our main concern, frankly, is not with more Skyrim DLC, but if whether Skyrim is the last true Elder Scrolls game, and if Elder Scrolls Online will destroy what is now (and hopefully will never be referred to as “was once”) the pinnacle of single-player fantasy RPG.
That would be a sad day indeed, if real Elder Scrolls titles gave way to a broad but surely more shallowly done MMORPG. Don’t get me wrong. I’m psyched about TES Online. I think it’s great.
But MMOs don’t have the depth of games like the TES titles. They technically can’t, at least not for another decade or so (optimistically). Plus, it is nice to have a game you can play when not in an area with plentiful good internet connections.
As it is, even if there are future Elder Scrolls titles, I fear that TES Online might prematurely limit the creative options for developing new provinces for future titles.
If that doesn’t turn out to be the case, than my only feelings toward TES Online are positive, and I really look forward to being able to play it.
But if its very existence threatens or limits future real TES titles?
I’m not sure I could even play it, as much as I’d want to, as it would be a constant reminder of the death of my favorite game franchise.
Todd Howard’s comments fortunately and unfortunately mean two things to me.
That 1) there will be more Skyrim DLC in store for us but 2) Skyrim may very well be the last true TES title.
Why the second point? Because he said it would be fun “going somewhere else,” and that either means he’s thinking of a new type of game on top of their existing franchises (Fallout, TES, …), or that he is begrudgingly giving up TES to a totally separate department, Bethesda Online (or something like that), not his department, Bethesda Game Studios. I hope I’m wrong on that second point, but I have an unfortunate habit of being right on things like that.
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