History Creator / Bethesda

*** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsBlades''

** ''The Elder Scrolls Blades''

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Each game merrily hops back and forth along this line. Generally, the ''Elder Scrolls'' leans towards the cynical end while ''Fallout'' leans harder towards the idealistic end of the spectrum.

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 76}}''
* ''VideoGame/{{Starfield}}''

** ''VideoGame/FalloutShelter''
* ''Franchise/{{Dishonored}}''

* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder''

* ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin''

* ''VideoGame/Doom2016''

* EldritchAbomination: The [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]], [[DragonsAreDivine dragons]], and Ug-Qualtoth are just a *few* examples of these in their games.

** In ''Skyrim'', the three ideologies of nationalism, imperialism and fascism, which might get confused as being the same in simpler Aesops, are represented with three factions at mortals odds with each other, and the Fascist faction is the only one presented as completely evil.

** 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 abitious concept, this approach [[ThrivingGhostTown has its drawbacks.]]

** Within their flagship series, each new game tends to cause this effect, especially among younger audiences. It isn't uncommon for someone to have played ''Skyrim'' or ''Fallout 4'' without having ever touched another game in the series.

* WhatMeasureIsAMook:
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman:

** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena''
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall''
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind''
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''
** ''The Elder Scrolls VI'' (TBA)
** ''VideoGame/AnElderScrollsLegendBattlespire''
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsAdventuresRedguard''

** ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard''

** ''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire''

** ''The Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire''

** ''The Elder Scrolls VI''

* ObviousBeta: They make wondrous games...that are also infamous for their many technical issues. They've noticeably improved as time has gone on, though.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' franchise

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise (acquired from Creator/InterplayEntertainment)

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' franchise

!!List of tropes persistent in Bethesda Game Studios' {{RPG}}s:
* AndTheAdventureContinues: Bethesda isn't a big fan of [[WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue epilogues]], and they instead prefer to let the player just [[PlayableEpilogue play past the ending]].
* AntiVillain: Several cases, but the most noteworthy examples are [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Dagoth Ur]], [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Ulfric Stormcloak, General Tullius,]] [[VideoGame/Fallout4 Conrad Kellogg, Father, and Elder Arthur Maxson]].
* ApocalypticLog: Justifiably common in their ''Fallout'' games given the setting, but the ''Elder Scrolls'' games also include plenty of examples.
* AuthorAppeal: Their games are littered with references to Creator/HPLovecraft, and they frequently draw inspiration from his works (such as the abundance of Eldritch Abominations found throughout their games).
* BlackComedy: Numerous examples, but the [=S.P.E.C.I.A.L.=] videos for ''Fallout 4'' probably take the cake in the "cheerfully grim" department.
* BreakoutHit:
** ''Morrowind'' was this for them, both commercially and critically. Its success even saved them from bankruptcy.
** ''Skyrim'' and ''Fallout 4'' took them to another level as a major game studio, cementing Bethesda's status as a pillar of western gaming.
* 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]]).
* DeadpanSnarker: A trademark of their work is an abundance of sarcastic characters and dialogue, with ''Fallout 4'' even having a "Sarcastic" dialogue option in almost every dialogue tree.
* EldritchAbomination: The [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]], [[DragonsAreDivine dragons]], and Ug-Qualtoth are just a *few* examples of these in their games.
* TheEpic: Both of their flagship series qualify, with the protagonists being extraordinary individuals (for their settings) pulling off exceptional feats with world-altering consequences. Bethesda also used this term specifically when introducing ''Starfield''.
* 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.
** In ''Skyrim'', the three ideologies of nationalism, imperialism and fascism, which might get confused as being the same in simpler Aesops, are represented with three factions at mortals odds with each other, and the Fascist faction is the only one presented as completely evil.
* 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.
* GuideDangIt: Given the sheer scale and content density of their games, this comes up quite often. It has actually become less common over time - Though of course, per the BrokenBase, many longtime fans see this as a ''bad thing'', and feel that their favorite series are being "dumbed down" for more casual gamers.
* HiddenDepths: Bethesda likes to make fascinating and flawed characters that usually reveal these over the course of the story just as much as they like making {{Bit Character}}s.
* HumongousMecha: The Numidium and Liberty Prime.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters:
** Given the sheer scale of the games they create, creating enough characters to fill them out naturally leads to this. Even the ''Fallout'' games, which take place in a sparsely populated post-apocalyptic wasteland, usually require multiple character sub-pages to list them all out.
** 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 abitious concept, this approach [[ThrivingGhostTown has its drawbacks.]]
* MythologyGag: To other games they develop. For example, there's Porter Gage in ''Fallout 4: Nuka-World'' referring to Mirelurks as "Mudcrabs," animals found only in the ''Elder Scrolls.''
* ObviousBeta: They make wondrous games...that are also infamous for their many technical issues. They've noticeably improved as time has gone on, though.
* PromotedFanboy:
** On a meta level - Most of Bethesda Game Studios are fans of the original ''Fallout'' games, and so they were thrilled when they eventually acquired the series.
** They have also gone on to hire some of the more talented game modders as developers for later games in the series.
* ShoutOut: They absolutely '''''love''''' to make references to [[Creator/HPLovecraft H.P. Lovecraft]] and the Cthulhu Mythos, with at least one reference showing up in every game they've developed.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Each game merrily hops back and forth along this line. Generally, the ''Elder Scrolls'' leans towards the cynical end while ''Fallout'' leans harder towards the idealistic end of the spectrum.
* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVersusOpenness: They're pretty firmly on the latter end of the scale.
* SmallReferencePools:
** To the majority of people, Bethesda has two franchises: ''The Elder Scrolls'' and ''Fallout''. Fewer still realize that ''Fallout'' didn't originate with Bethesda.
** Within their flagship series, each new game tends to cause this effect, especially among younger audiences. It isn't uncommon for someone to have played ''Skyrim'' or ''Fallout 4'' without having ever touched another game in the series.
* SpaceCompression: To an extreme degree due to the sheer size of the worlds portrayed in Bethesda's games. Large cities become [[ThrivingGhostTown small hamlets]] and small or medium-sized settlements turn into one or two buildings or disappear entirely.
* StoryBreadcrumbs: Bethesda prefers to supply {{World Building}} through delivering stories via background environmental details, readable notes and books, and (in the ''Fallout'' series) audio logs.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Not always, but their [=RPGs=] still tend to have many examples of these in each game.
* [[VideoGameCaringPotential Video Game Caring]]/[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Cruelty Potential]]: Given their tendency to make their games as open as possible, there are plenty of opportunities for each.
* 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.
* WesternRPG: Every game they've made is one, often overlapping significantly with elements of the ActionRPG genre.
* WideOpenSandbox: One of the main sources of appeal in Bethesda's games is the ability to do practically anything the player wants to do in a massive open-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]].
* WhatMeasureIsAMook:
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman:
----

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Given the sheer scale of the games they create, creating enough characters to fill them out naturally leads to this. Even the ''Fallout'' games, which take place in a sparsely populated post-apocalyptic wasteland, usually require multiple character sub-pages to list them all out.

!!Notable Bethesda Writers/Developers:

* Creator/MichaelKirkbride

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.

* AntiHero/AntiVillain: Several cases, but the most noteworthy examples are [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Dagoth Ur]], [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Ulfric Stormcloak, General Tullius,]] [[VideoGame/Fallout4 Conrad Kellogg, Father, and Elder Arthur Maxson]].

* AuthorAppeal: Their games are littered with references to Creator/HPLovecraft, and they also draw inspiration from his works (such as the abundance of Eldritch Abominations found throughout their games).

* EldritchAbomination: The [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]], [[DragonsAreDivine dragons]], and Ug-Qualtoth are just some examples of these in their games.

* GrayAndGreyMorality: It varies per game, but ''Skyrim''[='s=] {{Civil War}} subplot and ''Fallout 4''[='s=] main questline concerning the Commonwealth & Synths both feature it most prominently.

* MythologyGag: To other games they develop. Most notably, there's Porter Gage in ''Fallout 4: Nuka-World'' referring to Mirelurks as "Mudcrabs," animals found only in the ''Elder Scrolls.''

** On a meta level - Most of Bethesda Game Studios is full of fans of the original ''Fallout'' games, and so they were thrilled when they eventually acquired the series.

Since then, Bethesda has reached new heights of commercial and critical success, 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.

** 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...

!!!Games and series developed by Bethesda Game Studios:

!!! Games and series published by Bethesda Softworks (in addition to the Bethesda Game Studios games)

!!!List of tropes persistent in Bethesda Game Studios' {{RPG}}s:

* AuthorAppeal: Their games are littered with references to Creator/HPLovecraft, and they also draw inspiration from his works (such as their abundance of Eldritch Abominations found throughout their games).

* CrapsackWorld: [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Tamriel]] and [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} the 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: They often analyze this trope. What's interesting is that Bethesda's games often more analyze 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]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Thalmor]] are universally presented in a negative light.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: It varies per game, but ''Skyrim''[='s=] {{Civil War}} subplot and the ''Fallout 4''[='s=] main questline feature it most prominently.
* GuideDangIt: Given the sheer scale and content density of their games, this comes up quite often. It has actually become less common over time, though many longtime fans see this as a ''bad thing'', and that their favorite series are being "dumbed down" for more casual gamers.
* HiddenDepths: Bethesda often likes to make fascinating and flawed characters that usually reveal these over the course of the story just as much as they make {{Bit Character}}s.

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

* StoryBreadcrumbs: Bethesda prefers to supply {{World Building}} through delivering stories via background environmental details, readable notes and books, and (in the Fallout series) audio logs.

* VideoGameCaringPotential/VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Given their tendency to make their games as open as possible, there are plenty of opportunities for each.

* 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. (Such as 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...)

* CrapsackWorld: [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Tamriel]] and [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} the Wasteland]] are ''not'' [[RunningGag okay places to live]].

* GrayAndGreyMorality: It varies per game, but ''Skyrim''[='s=] {{Civil War}} subplot and the war concerning the Commonwealth & Synths in ''Fallout 4'' are the most obvious examples of this.

* StoryBreadcrumbs: Bethesda prefers to supply {{World Building}} through delivering stories via background environmental details.

** ''VideoGame/PreyMooncrash''

* ApocalypticLog: While they're more often found in their ''Fallout'' games, the ''Elder Scrolls'' games still have numerous examples.

* BreakoutHit: ''Morrowind'' was this for them (it even saved them from bankruptcy), but ''Skyrim'' and ''Fallout 4'' truly plunged them into the limelight as a major game studio.

* EldritchAbomination: The Daedric Princes, dragons, and Ug-Qualtoth are just some examples of these in their games.

* GreyAndBlackMorality: Bethesda seems to lean on this trope from time to time. For example, while the Skyrim Civil War is pretty morally ambiguous between [[AncientRome the Empire]] and [[HornyVikings the Stormcloaks]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Thalmor]] are universally presented in a negative light.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: It varies per game, but ''Skyrim's'' {{Civil War}} subplot and the war concerning the Commonwealth & Synths in ''Fallout 4'' are the most obvious examples of this.
* GuideDangIt: Each of their games are [[{{Understatement}} quite massive]], and actual direction is limited.

* PromotedFanboy: On a meta level - Most of Bethesda Game Studios is full of fans of the original ''Fallout'' games, and so they were thrilled when they eventually acquired the series.

* VideoGameCaringPotential/VideoGameCrueltyPotential:

* WellIntentionedExtremist:
* WesternRPG: Every game they've made is one.