Bethesda fans know that their games typically have a few DLC expansions. It’s a means to keep the game going with fresh new content. You might find new characters, locations, items, and more here. So, if you’re a fan of these epic RPGs, you’ll likely also spend some time with its companion DLC launches.
Bethesda thinks about DLC more than any other studio. Or at least that’s what Bethesda’s design director Emil Pagliarulo had to say. Recently, GamesRadar had the chance to speak with the design director about DLC. While Bethesda thinks about ways to expand the game worlds they create now, it wasn’t always the case.
The reason we have such a focus on DLC from Bethesda stems back to Fallout 3. The design director spoke of how players did not like the ending to the game. Here is a spoiler for Fallout 3 if you have yet to play this installment. But at the end of the game, players are essentially forced to sacrifice themselves. The ending left fans with a bad taste in their mouths, and that prompted developers to realize that players did not want to play their games but instead lived in the worlds they created.
Any Bethesda developer who has been around since the horse armor days knows that by this point, if we understand one thing, it’s DLC. That’s not to say we’re on autopilot and don’t think about it now. It means we still think about it and have probably thought about it more than any other studio since those early days. And I think the result of all that contemplating is we have a pretty good handle on how to plug new content into our huge games. – Emil Pagliarulo
Going forward, they wanted to ensure that DLC was just adding new content for players to enjoy after the campaign’s conclusion. Of course, that first started with going back and bringing Broken Steel, an expansion for Fallout 3. That DLC also allowed players to avoid having to sacrifice themselves at the end of the main campaign.
Currently, Bethesda has just released its first DLC expansion for Starfield, Shattered Space. Of course, the studio is fully aware that while players might be diving into its RPG epic, they want the next installment to The Elder Scrolls. Of course, we might be a good ways off from that game releasing into the marketplace.
