5 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Bethesda’s E3 2018 Conference

Is Multiplayer Actually Going to be Optional in Fallout 76?

Bethesda E3 2018: Questions We Still Have

Everything we’ve heard leading up to Todd Howard’s walkthrough of Fallout 76 is that single-player isn’t going to be abandoned but… Howard seemed to strongly, strongly suggest that the game is designed around multiplayer. Between building up a camp, taking on powerful enemies like that Bat/Gargoyle hybrid, and getting the nuclear launch codes, nothing we were shown really seemed to make us feel like single players are welcome in Fallout 76.

Here’s the thing, if Fallout 76 wasn’t called Fallout, and was just some open-world, online-only apocalypse survival game, this would be less of an issue. But, since it’s not that, and instead it’s the first multiplayer in game that is known for its massive single-player campaigns, people are understandably nervous that Fallout 76 might not be for them, and is appealing to a completely different crowd. This is amplified by the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online which was rocky, and many felt that it was a watered down version of the franchise with MMO elements slapped on.

On the bright side, ESO is doing great now, and I’m sure Bethesda played very close attention to how that situation played out and hopefully will get Fallout 76 right from the get. Still, we’re still questioning whether or not you can really play Fallout 76 in single-player or if it’s more like Destiny where, sure, you can technically do stuff by yourself, but why would you?

Why Isn’t Doom’s Sequel, Doom 2? What Does Eternal Mean?

Bethesda E3 2018: Questions We Still Have

The Doom reboot was one of the pleasant, and non-controversial, surprises from the Bethesda E3 2018 conference. The last game was so great, who is going to complain about getting a new one, right?

What I’m wondering, though, and I fully admit I might be looking into this too much, is why it isn’t called Doom 2. The most obvious answer to that would be that it’s because there already is a Doom 2, and that might be confusing. But it didn’t bother them with the naming of the reboot.

The subtitle choice, Eternal, sounds like it could be something persistent, never ending. The teaser panned out showing a large, open world-like landscape. Maybe it’s because Fallout is going multiplayer that we’re a bit spooked that everything is going to get some kind of always-online, multiplayer focused entry. I’m probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but hey, just something I noticed, and maybe you did too? I just want more of the the 2016 Doom please.

Does Wolfenstein: Youngblood Hint That B.J. Blazkowicz Fails?

Bethesda E3 2018: Questions We Still Have

So file this one under, really cool idea, but kind of awkward timing? Wolfenstein: Youngblood takes place in the 1980s, where B.J. and Anna’s twins are all grown up and killing Nazis in France. Cool, no complaints here. Sounds like a rad idea for a Wolfenstein game.

The issue I’m having is that we all just played Wolfenstein II, and by the end… *SPOILERS: GO TO THE NEXT PAGE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED* …  we’re kicking off a full-scale revolution to kick the Nazis out of the USA and hopefully start a worldwide uprising. However, if we’re in the 1980s, and we still have Nazis marching down the streets of Paris… does that mean that Wolfenstein III isn’t going to end positively, or at least not at the level that we’d hope if this is a trilogy? Maybe I’m assuming too much, and it’s not a planned trilogy, and this is going to be an ongoing series for a while and B.J.’s journey is going to be a long one. But, my first instinct after seeing that Youngblood trailer, despite how awesome of an idea it is, was that of confusion and concern for my boy B.J.

Which is Further Along: Starfield or The Elder Scrolls VI?

Bethesda E3 2018: Questions We Still Have

Okay so obviously we’re going to get into Starfield and TES: VI. First up is which we’re actually going to play first. None of them seem even remotely close to being done, and I’m honestly surprised Bethesda even bothered to show them. It felt like they just wanted people to leave them alone, and to stop asking questions about it so they just gave us a teaser to make us happy.

Based on how Howard chose his words, it would seem like Starfield is what’s going to be coming up first, before The Elder Scrolls VI. But I’m very curious as to who they have on each of these teams and how they are splitting up their top talent. I assume that each of these games are getting the A-team treatment. It feels like they have been working on both at the same time or if they haven’t, they certainly are now. Will they be out in the same year? Or is Elder Scrolls VI three to four years away, and Starfield two to three years away? Vice versa? We’ll have to wait and see.

Are Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI Going to be Next-Gen Games?

Bethesda E3 2018: Questions We Still Have

If we saw even a little bit of the either of these two games, I’d feel optimistic that we would see them before the end of this console generation. But, they were both teaser trailers with no gameplay. Not even a showing of CGI, or fake gameplay, just announcements.

These are going to be massive games that we know next to nothing about, and they will probably be on a brand new engine. Factoring both of those things in, and also that we’re probably only two or three years away from seeing/experiencing the next generation of home consoles, it’s very likely these are early, new-gen games. Howard even mentioned “next-generation” in his presentation, but it’s unclear what he meant by that.

This is only puzzling because there is probably a large segment of gamers that expected one or both of these games within by 2019-2020. Right now, based on what we know now, seeing any of these before 2021 even seems ambitious.

What do you think? What questions do you still have? Let us know in the comments below.