The Elder Scrolls franchise, one of the most successful and long-running video game series, has not seen a major spin-off like Fallout: New Vegas since the release of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim in 2011. Kurt Kuhlmann, a former developer and lore master for the franchise, explained that this is largely due to Todd Howard's cautious approach to the intellectual property. Howard, the creative director at Bethesda Game Studios, has been protective of the Elder Scrolls brand, which is an original creation of Bethesda. Kuhlmann, who worked at Bethesda for 20 years before leaving in 2023, noted that the development of Fallout: New Vegas by Obsidian Entertainment created an impression that "who makes the best Fallout game? Oh, they should just hand that over to Obsidian." This led to speculation that Obsidian might take over the Fallout series, a scenario Howard apparently wanted to avoid for Elder Scrolls. Kuhlmann also mentioned that the release of The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) in 2014 helped Bethesda keep the franchise active while working on other projects like Fallout 4 and Starfield. Many fans now associate The Elder Scrolls with ESO, which has become their main experience with the series. This shift may have influenced Bethesda's decision to focus on ESO rather than producing a major spin-off like Fallout: New Vegas. The lack of a major spin-off has led to a long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6, which was announced in 2018. While the game is currently a priority for Bethesda, its release date remains uncertain. The development period has been compared to the gap between GTA 5 and GTA 6, though some suggest the focus on ESO and other projects has contributed to the delay. Despite the wait, fans remain hopeful for the upcoming entry in the series.