Bethesda Switching To Unreal Engine Would Threaten Mod Scene, Former Dev Says

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Bethesda has been developing its self-owned Creation Engine for more than a decade, using it for all their games since Skyrim. But after the launches of Starfield and the remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, some fans have raised doubts about Bethesda’s dedication to this engine. In a recent interview, ex-studio head Dan Nanni stated that abandoning Creation Engine would entail substantial expenses for both the community and the development team.

In recent years, the video game industry has seen a trend towards using a limited number of standard engines, with Unreal Engine 5 being one of the most popular choices. As a result, studios that develop their own engines, such as Bethesda and its Creation Engine, are becoming increasingly uncommon. When asked about this choice by VideoGamer, Bethesda’s Nanni highlighted several reasons for the studio’s continued focus on Creation Engine. One of the primary factors is the strong modding community that Bethesda has cultivated over time, which plays a crucial role in the longevity of their games and the studio’s approach to long-term support.

As a devoted fan, I’ve been pondering over the potential shift to UE5 by Bethesda, which seems promising for seasoned modders who’ve honed their skills on other games. However, from Nanni’s perspective, the broader Bethesda modding scene might face significant setbacks. He explained, “We have a community that knows your engine inside and out, having created masterpieces over decades with it.” The question then becomes, is it wise to sacrifice all this accumulated wisdom? The answer isn’t straightforward… It’s about making an informed decision.

It’s not just modders who might feel threatened by abandoning Creation. Nanni also pointed out that Bethesda is a studio known for having low employee turnover, and a significant number of its technical team are experts in using Creation. Moving to UE5 could potentially discard this accumulated knowledge and require them to begin anew.

Nanni explained that the reason Creation is crucial for Bethesda’s internal operations is because they have a large team of programmers and an entire department dedicated to that specific technology. He pointed out that many of these individuals have been with the company for over two decades. Switching to a new engine like Unreal, he added, would require not only the transfer of the entire tech department but also significant time invested in training them on the new system.

Don’t forget to review VideoGamer’s talk with Nanni for further insights into his tenure at Bethesda and contributions to Fallout 76. If you’re keen on learning more about the Bethesda game modding community, be sure to explore the most popular Fallout 4 mods and Skyrim mods. Also, while the Oblivion remake doesn’t endorse them officially, the enthusiastic modding community has still produced some impressive Oblivion remake mods.

In more updates from Bethesda, their latest release of the Oblivion remake has been an enormous hit, swiftly climbing up the charts as one of the year 2025’s best-selling games just weeks after debut. While fans may have a while longer before they can get their hands on Bethesda’s highly anticipated next project, The Elder Scrolls VI, lead creative developer Todd Howard has assured us that the team is tirelessly working away at it.

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2025-05-20 18:14