End of the Crisis Core story arc in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis

Bethesda veteran Kurt Kuhlmann, who worked at the studio for 20 years on games such as The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, spoke about the reasons for his departure. The main reason was the prolonged development of the sixth installment of The Elder Scrolls, for which he hoped to become the lead designer.

Kuhlmann claims that Todd Howard promised him this role after completing work on Fallout 4. However, the studio consistently postponed the project, first releasing Fallout 76, and then focusing on the lengthy development of Starfield. In the end, after 11 years of waiting, the lead designer of TES6 was appointed as another, unnamed employee.

Kuhlmann also shared his vision of the game's story. According to his concept, inspired by the film The Empire Strikes Back, the main antagonists were supposed to be the Thalmor, who would ultimately win, creating a dark foundation for the next installment of the series. This approach would have been a departure from the storytelling style typical for Bethesda.