Bethesda devs doubt Elder Scrolls, Fallout quality after Microsoft layoffs

Unionised Bethesda Games Studios staff caught in Microsoft's latest round of layoffs say the studio cannot keep making Elder Scrolls and Fallout games at its past quality level after losing seasoned employees, and they are still negotiating severance terms with Microsoft.

"We thought we were safe," BGS gameplay engineer and union representative Anne Barrett told The Guardian. "Bethesda Games Studios is Skyrim, it's Fallout. We have really highly anticipated stuff coming out. We thought that the work we were doing was going to keep us safe. And instead, we got brought into a meeting that was two minutes long, to end, in some cases, decades of career at the company."

Alex Nguyen, a union bargainer still employed at Bethesda Games Studios Dallas, said his character art team lost two people who had worked there for decades. "Outstanding employees. It never made any sense," he said.

Barrett argued the reduced team cannot reproduce the studio's signature look. "You can't just throw new people at that problem," she said. "The company has said that they can do it. I disagree."

The studio is working on The Elder Scrolls 6. In July, an anonymous staffer said the cuts could delay the game.