Skyrim's lead designer is “eternally stunned” by the game's enduring appeal, saying: “I think Skyrim builds the open world in a way that's never been done before.”
Blog Andrew Joseph 15 Oct , 2025 0
chief designer of horizon “Forever shocked” not only by the role-playing game's success, but also by its enduring appeal, suggesting the game's open world and “quirkyness” keep players coming back 14 years after its launch.
Skyrim was released back in 2011. It's an open-world role-playing game that puts players on a precipice that will determine the future of Skyrim, as the Empire awaits the arrival of the prophesied Dragonborn, a hero born with the power of voice and the only one who can stand among the dragons. IGN's Skyrim rating is 9.5/10. We called it “a rare, highly personal, rewarding experience, and one of the best RPGs ever made.”
Now, talking about FRVR PodcastLead designer Bruce Nesmith offers his thoughts on why so many people continue to play Skyrim after all these years. “I think Skyrim created an open world in a way that had never been done before and that very few people have really tried since,” he said, adding: “No matter what, a year from now other games should have surpassed it. And then two years later, three years later, five years later, 10 years later. It's like 'What the hell is going on here?'”
“Todd (Howard, Bethesda owner) would even go to these meetings and show us information on how many people were playing the game, but I can't give you the details. It was like, 'Are you kidding me?' Seriously, 10 years later it's still the same.”
Exploring the game's legacy and enduring community, he added: “I think Skyrim created the open world in a way that had never been done before, and very few people have really tried to do that since. One of the things that we accepted, and a lot of developers struggled to accept, is that that means you're going to be weird. Weird things are going to happen to you. If you say it's OK, you get this diamond.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, Nesmith believes that if developers try to “smooth everything out” to prevent the aforementioned “weird stuff,” “you lose some of the magic that makes certain games so special.”
“We didn't make that decision,” he added. “It just happened. You know, we functionally prioritized, 'Okay, this bug is acceptable. This behavior is less than ideal, but we can live with it because look what we're getting here.'
“We didn't set any limits. We didn't try to manage the experience. We let it be your Experience, this is a player-driven experience. Very few games have mastered this, as open worlds are almost a cliché now… 'Oh yeah, we have open worlds. '”
Of course, Bethesda is developing the highly anticipated sequel to Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda has said almost nothing about it, but we do know It will include a character designed in memory of a fan who is sorely missedfollowing an extraordinary charity event that raised more than $85,000 for Make-A-Wish.
Meanwhile, one of Skyrim's most famous players, Shirley Curry – known to fans as Skyrim's grandma – Recently announced that he will retire before his 90th birthday and will no longer upload “The Elder Scrolls” videos.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist and consultant for IGN with over 15 years of experience working with some of the largest gaming sites and publications in the world. She's also a Guardian, a Spartan, a Silent Hill Warrior, a Legend, and an eternal High Chaos. find her in blue sky.