Hidetaka Miyazaki Has Stolen the Very Thing You Claim Makes Bethesda Games Unique

For years, Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard has talked about the allure of his studio’s open-world games. Bethesda’s formula of making expansive universes filled with countless unique experiences for players, games that can be enjoyed for long periods. Titles like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout allowed players to lose themselves in sprawling environments, with choices that shaped their journey.

But today, it’s becoming clear that the studio is being beaten at its own game. FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki are now the ones delivering truly unique, personal experiences and have left Bethesda struggling to keep up. The impact that Bloodborne and Elden Ring have had is simply incredible.

Todd Howard has previously mentioned that games like Starfield are designed for long-term engagement, claiming players can continually find new ways to experience the game. “It’s one of the things we’ve learned from our previous games,” Howard stated in an interview with the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

Starfield will have no legacy

Compared to most Bethesda productions they improve on at least some elements

Starfield is a step back in every sense of the word, it makes Morrowind look like a next gen game pic.twitter.com/q8AAzRJx3S

— Rock solid (@ShitpostRock) April 26, 2024

Released in 2023, Starfield was supposed to be the pinnacle of Bethesda’s RPG design philosophy. But just a month after its release, many players found themselves drifting away. Despite its scale, with hundreds of planets, Starfield lacked the magnetic pull that Bethesda’s earlier titles, like Skyrim or Fallout 3, had.

In contrast, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, under the direction of Hidetaka Miyazaki, has mastered the art of making vast open worlds feel intimate and mysterious. Unlike Starfield, where the exploration eventually feels repetitive, Elden Ring consistently surprises players with its world design and subtle storytelling.

Finished Elden Ring. The Magnum Opus of FromSoftware. Every single detail feels handcrafted, and to achieve that in such an expansive open world feels impossible yet they did it. A masterclass in level design, art direction, and gameplay. pic.twitter.com/bbsggJ4vaG

— AndrésPlays 🎮 (@AndresPlays93) June 25, 2024

Every corner of its map holds something new, whether it’s a hidden boss, an unexpected challenge, or a cryptic piece of lore that leads players down a rabbit hole of speculation and discovery. This ensures that even after hundreds of hours, Elden Ring continues to feel fresh.

One of the key differences between the two studios lies in how they handle player agency. Bethesda’s model allows for a level of openness where players can complete every major faction quest or roleplay different characters in one playthrough without much impact on the world.

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While this might sound appealing, it ultimately dilutes the sense of consequence and immersion. As a result, players feel they have experienced everything on offer too quickly, with little incentive for replay.

FromSoftware designs its games in a way that encourages players to engage deeply with the game’s world and its lore. Elden Ring’s world is filled with lore so hidden in item descriptions and vague NPC dialogues that entire communities are built around theorizing and piecing together these secrets.

This keeps players engaged well beyond a single playthrough, creating the kind of deeply personal experience that Howard champions but arguably falls short of achieving in recent Bethesda titles.

What are your thoughts on how games have evolved to the state they’re in today? Let us know in the comments!