Former Bethesda developer Kurt Kuhlmann sat down to talk about his experiences developing theElder Scrollsseries, and talked about how the initial concept forOblivion’s Cyrodiil was much “weirder.” As the “lore master” ofThe Elder Scrolls, Kuhlmann’s vision for the world ofObliviondiffered from what gamers eventually got, for better or worse.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind,Oblivion’s predecessor, has often been referred to as having “psychedelic” elements and surreal qualities that stand in stark contrast to the majority of its follow-ups. WhileOblivionandSkyrimhave been smash successes for Bethesda, this shift disappointed some fans, especially those who had first learned ofCyrodiil through the Pocket Guide to the Empire.
Kurt Kuhlmann had a long talk withYouTube channel Kiwi Talkzabout his experience at Bethesda, his work on theElder Scrollsseries, and his thoughts on the franchise since he left the company. Kuhlmann workedDaggerfall,Redguard, and was a big part of the early writing, story, and game systems forMorrowindduring the pre-production phase, but then left Bethesda until returning to work onOblivion"during the end of pre-production" in 2003. The world building for the game was essentially complete at this time, and he was surprised to discover that the Cyrodiil ofOblivionwasn’t as weird as what he and Michael Kirkbride had described it as in the Pocket Guide to the Empire. Kuhlmann pointed to influences frommedia likeDuneandDark Crystal, saying that he would have put more of the weird elements intoOblivionif he could have.
Why Did Oblivion’s Cyrodiil Change From Its Original Imagining?
There were a few reasons forOblivionbeing less “weird” than originally planned. According to Kuhlmann,Oblivionwas influenced by the popularity and success of the then-recentLord of the Ringsfilms, which has a more traditional fantasy story. Todd Howard apparently “gravitates not towards the weird stuff,” which also played a role. Kuhlmann notes that whileSkyrimwasn’t particularly weirdeither, it had “more dark corners” than its predecessor. Kuhlmann notably also worked onOblivion’s Shivering Isles, which is arguably the “weirdest” the game got.
As for the future ofThe Elder Scrolls, Kuhlmann left Bethesda in 2023, and has had no hand in the development ofThe Elder Scrolls 6. During the discussion about the games that have come out in the time since his departure, Kuhlmann noted that whateverThe Elder Scrolls 6turns out to be like, “They’re making something different than what I would have done.” He’s not sure what he’ll think of the game when it comes out, and has no knowledge regarding the project. Though the dev was responsible for a big part of what fans have come to know and love aboutThe Elder Scrolls, he’ll eventually be diving into a brand-new experience with every other fanwhenThe Elder Scrolls 6finally releases.
