History Creator / Bethesda

* ''VideoGame/{{Starfield}}'' (TBA - Planned 2023)

* ''VideoGame/{{Starfield}}'' (TBA - Planned 2022)

** ''VideoGame/{{RAGE}}''

* ''VideoGame/{{WET}}''

*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena''
*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall''
*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind''
*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''
*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''

*** ''VideoGame/AnElderScrollsLegendBattlespire''
*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsAdventuresRedguard''

*** ''VideoGame/Fallout3''
*** ''VideoGame/Fallout4''

*** ''VideoGame/Fallout76''
* ''VideoGame/{{Starfield}}'' (TBA)

In 2004, the company also acquired the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise from Creator/InterplayEntertainment, and revamped it into a 3D first-person RPG akin to ''The Elder Scrolls'' with ''VideoGame/Fallout3''. Since then, Bethesda has reached new heights of commercial and critical success [[note]]Indeed, Bethesda Game Studios now has ''three'' different studio teams - The original and main studio in Rockville, MD, a second studio opened in Montreal, Quebec, and [=BattleCry=] Studios in Austin, TX after Zenimax bought them out[[/note]], although its tendency to completely rebuild its games from the ground up with each sequel (which usually means axing old features in favor of new ones) proved to be divisive at times.

In 1999, the studio formed a new parent company, [=ZeniMax=] Media, which was designed to be an operational and administrative entity (but would go on to acquire other studios, including Creator/IdSoftware, Creator/ArkaneStudios and [[Creator/ShinjiMikami Tango Gameworks]]). In 2001, Bethesda Softworks split its development and publishing arms into two separate divisions, with Bethesda Game Studios serving as a flagship studio, and Bethesda Softworks serving only as a publishing label for Bethesda Game Studios and other [=ZeniMax=] properties. In 2004, the company also acquired the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise from Creator/InterplayEntertainment, and revamped it into a 3D first-person RPG akin to ''The Elder Scrolls'' with ''VideoGame/Fallout3''. Since then, Bethesda has reached new heights of commercial and critical success [[note]]Indeed, Bethesda Game Studios now has ''three'' different studio teams - The original and main studio in Rockville, MD, a second studio opened in Montreal, Quebec, and [=BattleCry=] Studios in Austin, TX after Zenimax bought them out[[/note]], although its tendency to completely rebuild its games from the ground up with each sequel (which usually means axing old features in favor of new ones) proved to be divisive at times.

They went on to release several ''{{Franchise/Terminator}}'' games, including one of the first fully-3D games, ''VideoGame/TerminatorFutureShock'' (released several months before ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}''), before continuing the ''Elder Scrolls'' series with ''Daggerfall'' in 1996. ''Daggerfall'' was notoriously buggy and commercially unsuccessful, and after releasing two equally unsuccessful expansions based on ''Daggerfall'' (''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire'' and ''TES Adventures: Redguard''), Bethesda was looking at bankruptcy.

On September 21, 2020, it was announced that [=ZeniMax=] Media was to be acquired by Microsoft, adding it and its subsidiaries under the Creator/XboxGameStudios banner. The acquisition was completed on March 9, 2021, after US and EU approval. The head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has stated that some of Bethesda's games will be exclusive to Xbox and PC, though only time will tell what these games could be.

On September 21, 2020, it was announced that [=ZeniMax=] Media was to be acquired by Microsoft, adding it and its subsidiaries under the Creator/XboxGameStudios banner. The acquisition is expected to be complete in late 2021, pending regulatory approval.

On September 21, 2020, [=ZeniMax=] was acquired by Microsoft, including it and its subsidiaries under Creator/XboxGameStudios.

In September 21, 2020, [=ZeniMax=] was acquired by Microsoft, including it and its subsidiaries under Creator/XboxGameStudios.

In 1999, the studio formed a new parent company, [=ZeniMax=] Media, which was designed to be an operational and administrative entity (but would go on to acquire other studios, including Creator/IdSoftware, Creator/ArkaneStudios and [[Creator/ShinjiMikami Tango Gameworks]]). In 2001, Bethesda Softworks split its development and publishing arms into two separate divisions, with Bethesda Game Studios serving as a flagship studio, and Bethesda Softworks serving only as a publishing label for Bethesda Game Studios and other [=ZeniMax=] properties. In 2004, the company also acquired the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise from Creator/InterplayEntertainment, and revamped it into a 3D first-person RPG akin to ''The Elder Scrolls'' with ''VideoGame/Fallout3''.

Since then, Bethesda has reached new heights of commercial and critical success [[note]]Indeed, Bethesda Game Studios now has ''three'' different studio teams - The original and main studio in Rockville, MD, a second studio opened in Montreal, Quebec, and [=BattleCry=] Studios in Austin, TX after Zenimax bought them out[[/note]], although its tendency to completely rebuild its games from the ground up with each sequel (which usually means axing old features in favor of new ones) proved to be divisive at times.

In September 21, 2020, [=ZeniMax=] was acquired by Microsoft, including it along with its subsidiaries under Creator/XboxGameStudios.

In September 21, 2020, [=ZeniMax=] was acquired by Microsoft, iluding it along with its subsidiaries under Creator/XboxGameStudios.

Since then, Bethesda has reached new heights of commercial and critical success [[note]]Indeed, Bethesda Game Studios now has ''three'' different studio teams - The original and main studio in Rockville, MD, a second studio opened in Montreal, Quebec, and [=BattleCry=] Studios in Austin, TX after Zenimax bought them out[[/note]], although its tendency to completely rebuild its games from the ground up with each sequel (which usually means axing old features in favor of new ones) proved to be divsive at times.

Since then, Bethesda has reached new heights of commercial and critical success [[note]]Indeed, Bethesda Game Studios now has ''three'' different studio teams - The original and main studio in Rockville, MD, a second studio opened in Montreal, Quebec, and [=BattleCry=] Studios in Austin, TX after Zenimax bought them out[[/note]], although its tendency to completely rebuild its games from the ground up with each sequel (which usually means axing old features in favor of new ones) has created an ''incredibly'' BrokenBase.

** ''VideoGame/XCarExperimentalRacing''

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' franchise:

In 1999, the studio formed a new parent company, [=ZeniMax=] Media, which was designed to be an operational and administrative entity (but would go on to acquire other studios, including Creator/IdSoftware, Creator/ArkaneStudios and [[Creator/ShinjiMikami Tango Gameworks]]). In 2001, Bethesda Softworks split its development and publishing arms into two separate divisions, with Bethesda Game Studios serving as a flagship studio, and Bethesda Softworks serving only as a publishing label for Bethesda Game Studios and other [=ZeniMax=] properties. In 2004, the company also acquired the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise from Creator/InterplayEntertainment, and revamped it into a 3D first-person RPG akin to ''The Elder Scrolls'' with ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''.

*** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''
*** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}''

*** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 76}}''

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5492d0d5f26c3651b361fe7a548ac1ec.png]]

* The ''Sea Dogs'' franchise:
** ''VideoGame/SeaDogs''

* ''VideoGame/{{RAGE}}''

They went on to release several ''{{Franchise/Terminator}}'' games, including one of the first fully-3D games, ''Skynet'' (released several months before ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}''), before continuing the ''Elder Scrolls'' series with ''Daggerfall'' in 1996. ''Daggerfall'' was notoriously buggy and commercially unsuccessful, and after releasing two equally unsuccessful expansions based on ''Daggerfall'' (''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire'' and ''TES Adventures: Redguard''), Bethesda was looking at bankruptcy.

* ''VideoGame/{{RAGE}}''
** ''VideoGame/Rage2''
* ''VideoGame/{{WET}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise (acquired from Creator/InterplayEntertainment):
** ''VideoGame/FalloutShelter''
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''

* ''The Evil Within'' franchise:
** ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin''
** ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin2''
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' franchise:
** ''VideoGame/Doom2016''
** ''VideoGame/DoomEternal''
* ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions''
* ''VideoGame/Prey2017''

* CrapsackWorld: [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Tamriel]] and [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} the North American Wasteland]] are ''not'' [[RunningGag okay places to live]]. This serves Bethesda’s style of RPG very well, as it provides players with plenty of conflicts and crises to meddle in (for [[VideoGameCaringPotential better]] or for [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential worse]]).

* FantasticRacism: Their games often feature this trope. What's interesting is that Bethesda often more analyzes some of the real-world reasons behind racism - cultural imperialism, class divides, slavery, and lingering tensions over wars/invasions - than just trying to create "racism is bad" {{Aesop}}s.

* GreyAndBlackMorality: Bethesda leans on this trope quite a bit. For example, the Skyrim {{Civil War}} is rather morally ambiguous between [[AncientRome the Empire]] and [[HornyVikings the Stormcloaks]], but [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Thalmor]] are universally presented in a negative light.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: It varies per game, but ''Skyrim''[='s=] {{Civil War}} subplot over Talos worship and ''Fallout 4''[='s=] main questline concerning the Commonwealth & Synths both feature it most prominently.

** From a technical perspective, modern Bethesda games take this trope to the extreme in a way no other developer does. Instead of filling their world with [[NominalImportance non-character]] [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCS]] that act as window dressing to make the world seem bustling and alive, Bethesda chooses to use a smaller number of more "intelligent" characters that all have at least one line of dialogue, a bed to sleep in, and a schedule they adhere to. While every NPC being an individual is pretty cool and quite the ambitious concept, this approach [[ThrivingGhostTown has its drawbacks.]]

* ObviousBeta: They make wondrous games...that are also infamous for their many technical issues, especially upon release. ''Daggerfall'' was so infamously buggy that it was ''impossible to complete the main quest'' when released. (This was later patched.) They had been getting better about this over time...then the ''Fallout 76'' debacle happened and set the company's reputation ''well'' back in this regard.

** They have also gone on to hire some of the more talented game modders as developers for later games in the series.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: At the very least, [[TechnologyMarchesOn for the time they're released]], each of Bethesda's games have showcased absolutely gorgeous landscapes and worlds to explore.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: A common trait of their {{Big Bad}}s as well as other lesser villains. Their end goal is often something that one can see as noble, though the methods they choose to get there are often morally repugnant.
** For example, there's [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Dagoth Ur]] seeking to drive the Empire out of Morrowind, which is something even the honorable [[ProudWarriorRace Great House Redoran]] desires. However, his method of doing so involves creating a HumongousMecha powered by [[CosmicKeystone the heart of a dead god]] to spread TheCorruption around the world.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Each game they make is full of cut content, of which many is often (at least attempted) to be filled back in by [[{{GameMod}} modders]].