Bethesda Dev Wants More Shadowdrops Because “We All Have Short Attention Spans Now”

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Earlier this year, Bethesda surprised everyone by releasing a remastered version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion without any prior announcement – and it proved very popular. They followed this up with a similar surprise release for the game Hi-Fi Rush. Now, Tom Mustaine, a director at Bethesda Game Studios, is encouraging other game developers to consider using this ‘shadowdrop’ approach for their future releases.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Dave Mustaine explained that surprise releases, often called ‘shadow drops,’ are something Bethesda’s Todd Howard likes to do. Mustaine believes this approach can be effective because it captures the attention of players who don’t have a lot of time or focus.

He explained that people’s attention spans are shorter these days, using the example of wanting instant gratification like getting a new game immediately. He found the recent experience to be a successful strategy, enjoying the ability to quickly deliver what people wanted and hoping it wasn’t a one-time thing. He’d like to see others adopt a similar approach of immediate delivery and responsiveness.

While the release of Oblivion Remastered felt like a surprise – it was announced and released on the same day – it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Rumors about the game had been circulating for years thanks to an earlier leak. That same leak from 2023 also mentioned plans for a remastered version of Fallout 3, and recent reports suggest that version is still being developed.

In a recent interview with GQ, Todd Howard explained his preference for announcing games and releasing them quickly, which has led some to speculate that a rumored remaster of Fallout 3 might be released unexpectedly. He also expressed a desire for The Elder Scrolls 6 to be announced and released with little warning, essentially appearing ‘out of the blue’.

You know, I really love how this developer just does things – announces stuff and then immediately puts it out there. He said his dream scenario is to take a long break and then, completely out of the blue, just drop the game on everyone. I’m hoping that’s what happens – a total surprise release!

Fallout 76 is getting a new update called Burning Springs on December 2nd. It will introduce the character The Ghoul, played by Walton Goggins, who you may recognize from the Fallout TV series on Prime Video – season two of that show arrives on December 17th.

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2025-11-24 19:11