In a recent interview, Heather Cerlan, Starfield artist and current CEO of NEARstudios, revealed that Bethesda faced an intense internal discussion about the possibility of switching from their Creation Engine to Unreal Engine 5. The pressure to opt for Epic Games’ engine was considerable, especially after the impressive features like Nanite and Lumen that were introduced in UE5. However, Bethesda ultimately decided to continue with the Creation Engine, which was updated to version 2 for Starfield, due to its robust modding capabilities. Bethesda decided to continue trusting their engine The community […]
The pressure to opt for Epic Games’ engine was considerable, especially after the impressive features like Nanite and Lumen that were introduced in UE5. However, Bethesda ultimately decided to continue with the Creation Engine, which was updated to version 2 for Starfield, due to its robust modding capabilities.
Starfield devs faced "a lot of pressure" to use Unreal Engine 5, former Bethesda artist says, but the Creation Engine won because of its modding capability https://t.co/qZoKMTQSsX
In Bethesda, they decided to continue trusting their engine
The mod community that has developed around the Creation Engine has been fundamental to the success of Bethesda’s titles. Cerlan emphasized that this community has been key to the maintenance and expansion of their games, which makes switching engines not very sensible.
Despite this, various former employees have divided opinions on the convenience of staying with the Creation Engine. Nate Purkeypile, a former artist at Bethesda, has expressed his belief that switching to Unreal Engine 5 could have allowed for better development, arguing that the experience of working with the Creation Engine is akin to “being on a train while laying down the tracks.”
On the other hand, Bruce Nesmith, who worked at Bethesda for nearly two decades, points out that changing engines is a huge effort that could delay the game’s production. According to Nesmith, the advantages of a transition to Unreal Engine 5 would not materialize quickly, and it could require a year or more of technical work before the studio would benefit from such a change.
Finally, Todd Howard has confirmed that Bethesda is improving the Creation Engine for The Elder Scrolls VI and other future projects, noting a return to the classic RPG formula that has characterized their most successful games. With this, Howard addresses the criticism towards some recent releases, promising an experience that is more true to what fans have been expecting.
{
"de-DE": "Ich bin Journalist mit über 30 Jahren Erfahrung in Videospielen und Technologie. Obwohl Videospiele schon immer mein Fachgebiet waren, habe ich begonnen, auch die komplexen Strukturen von Projektmanagement-Tools wie Asana sowie die Automatisierungen mit Make.com und N8N zu entdecken und zu genießen.",
"en-US": "I’m a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in video games and technology. Although my specialty has always been video games, I’ve recently started enjoying exploring the intricacies of project-management tools like Asana, as well as automations with Make.com and N8N.",
"es-ES": "Soy periodista con más de 30 años de experiencia en videojuegos y tecnología. Aunque mi especialidad siempre ha sido el videojuego, he empezado a disfrutar también de descubrir los laberintos de los programas de project management como Asana y las automatizaciones de make.com y de N8N",
"fr-FR": "Je suis journaliste avec plus de 30 ans d’expérience dans le jeu vidéo et la technologie. Bien que ma spécialité ait toujours été le jeu vidéo, j’ai commencé à prendre plaisir à explorer également les méandres des outils de gestion de projet comme Asana, ainsi que les automatisations avec Make.com et N8N.",
"it-IT": "Sono un giornalista con oltre 30 anni di esperienza nei videogiochi e nella tecnologia. Anche se la mia specialità è sempre stata il videogame, ho iniziato a divertirmi anche a scoprire i meccanismi degli strumenti di project management come Asana e delle automazioni con Make.com e N8N.",
"ja-JP": "",
"nl-NL": "Ik ben een journalist met meer dan 30 jaar ervaring in videogames en technologie. Hoewel videogames altijd mijn specialiteit zijn geweest, ben ik ook begonnen te genieten van het verkennen van de ingewikkelde wereld van projectmanagementtools zoals Asana en van automatiseringen met Make.com en N8N.",
"pl-PL": "Jestem dziennikarzem z ponad 30-letnim doświadczeniem w grach wideo i technologii. Choć moją specjalizacją zawsze były gry wideo, ostatnio zacząłem również czerpać przyjemność z odkrywania zawiłości narzędzi do zarządzania projektami, takich jak Asana, oraz automatyzacji w Make.com i N8N.",
"pt-BR": "Sou jornalista com mais de 30 anos de experiência em videogames e tecnologia. Embora meu foco sempre tenha sido os videogames, recentemente passei a gostar de explorar também os labirintos de ferramentas de gestão de projetos como o Asana e das automações com Make.com e N8N.",
"social": {
"email": "jesus.bosque@softonic.com",
"facebook": "",
"twitter": "",
"linkedin": ""
}
}
View all posts by Jesús Bosque
