Veteran game developer Brent Erickson, who spent several years as Development Director at Bethesda Softworks, has offered a glimpse into one of the studio’s unrealized game concepts. In a recent interview, Erickson discussed his time at Bethesda and touched upon a familiar-sounding title that never made it past the planning stage.
According to the interview, one project that piqued interest was The 10th Planet, a space combat game spearheaded by Todd Howard and Bruce Nesmith. Erickson participated in early development meetings and technology discussions and expressed disappointment at its eventual cancellation. While the precise reasons remain unclear, there were a number of factors that caused the team to move on.
I was part of the early work on the 10th Planet. Bruce (Nesmith) and Todd were working on the design, along with some input from Centropolis Entertainment. I was involved in a few of those meetings and some of the technology discussions. I was disappointed that it was not realized while I was there. The reason it was canceled is a bit fuzzy. I know part of it was due to Centropolis pulling back, as well as other project priorities in Bethesda. I don’t think it was actually formally “canceled” but just moved out of the priorities.
Brent Erickson
Interestingly, the concept of space exploration from The 10th Planet seems to have been used in Bethesda’s latest IP, Starfield. Beyond The 10th Planet, Erickson revealed a treasure trove of unrealized projects. Collaborations with Centropolis yielded discussions for ambitious titles like Godzilla and StarGate, alongside potentially tie-in games for existing franchises like Gretzky and baseball. Internally, Bethesda also explored expanding the Terminator franchise, showcasing the studio’s diverse range of interests at the time.
Erickson’s insights extend beyond canceled projects, offering a broader perspective on Bethesda’s evolution. During his tenure, he saw the company go from a self-publishing outfit with unique licensed products to a multi-acquisition, investor-driven business. While noting the shift in philosophy, Erickson remains neutral, recognizing the inherent differences in operating under each model.
The interview also delves into broader industry trends. Erickson gave his thoughts on the recent wave of layoffs, saying they were caused by overhiring during the COVID-19 boom and possibly inflated market growth projections. He further cites the “Pixar model” of hiring, in which studios hire large teams for specific projects and release them once they’re done.
Erickson continues to work on personal projects, expressing a particular interest in simulation and story-driven games. Bethesda’s unrealized concepts are interesting to take note of, especially because those games would have delayed the production of others since the team works on one game at a time. As a publisher, we might see something similar from Bethesda, but it seems like we’ll have to wait until they can fix games like Redfall.
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