Fallout 3 is considered to be one of the most legendary RPG games, and its success wouldn’t have been possible without a beloved Elder Scrolls game.

As Fallout fans, we all know that there’s one particular entry in the franchise that turned everything upside down, and that’s Fallout 3. When it debuted all the way back in 2008, it brought an excellent experience, near-perfect balance between combat, open-world exploration, and story.

Fallout 3 is still making waves in the gaming community. (Image via Bethesda Game Studios)

Fallout 3 might be overshadowed by recent games with improved gameplay and graphics, but it still remains one of the strongest entries, which showed us what Bethesda could do if it was actually committed to a project. What you’ll be shocked to know is that this post-apocalyptic entry is actually a spiritual successor of an Elder Scrolls title.

Fallout 3 wouldn’t have been possible without Oblivion

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion set new highs for the company. (Image via Bethesda Game Studios)

Back in 2011, Fallout 3‘s lead designer and writer, Emil Pagliarulo, sat down with Vagrant Board and opened up about his experience working on games and how he managed to develop one of the best RPG experiences to date.

If you’re someone who has played the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, you’ll instantly notice the similarities between Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Fallout 3. These include things such as basic controls, HUD movement, and features.

Due to this reason, many have described Fallout 3 as a “post-apocalyptic Oblivion.” According to Pagliarulo, using similar mechanics in both games ultimately benefited Bethesda.

There’s an old adage about writing: “Write what you know.” That basically means your best creative endeavors are ones based upon experience and personal familiarity. The closer you are to the subject matter, the better your art will be by default.

As Pagliarulo explains, just like writing, game development benefits quite a lot when developers have a sense of familiarity. Bethesda had already proven that it could craft a ground-breaking RPG with the release of Oblivion. The studio took everything great from the title, understood its flaws, and applied it to Fallout 3.

Sure, you can say that similar mechanics between both games fight feel like lazy work, but they brought a balance of familiarity with new and exciting things in Fallout 3. If Todd Howard and his team hadn’t learned from the previous hit, the post-apocalyptic game would’ve never gone down in the history books.

Where is Bethesda planning to take the Fallout series?

The next Fallout game is still years away from release. (Image via Bethesda Game Studios)

After the release of Fallout 3, Bethesda has just produced two more Fallout games, and the last mainline entry hit the shelves almost a decade ago. Considering the hype behind the franchise, it’s quite shocking that Bethesda hasn’t been producing more post-apocalyptic titles.

However, as Bethesda fans, we’re all used to this kind of waiting; it’s almost a signature mark of the company, making players wait between sequels. If you’re someone who’s itching for the next Fallout title, it’s going to be a long wait, as Bethesda is currently working on Elder Scrolls 6.

According to Bethesda, Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in the production stage, and rumors suggest that the game will be released sometime during or after 2026. This means that Howard and his team won’t touch Fallout 5 at least until 2026.

This means that if Elder Scrolls 6 faces any sort of delay, Fallout 5 might also be delayed. So, fans should better prepare themselves that the next Fallout title won’t be out before 2030 at the earliest.

With that said, do you think Bethesda’s experience with Oblivion made Fallout 3 a better game? Let us know in the comments below