Former Bethesda developer Kurt Kurtzman recently criticized the studio for laying off senior production staff. He argued that if Microsoft aims to complete The Elder Scrolls VI quickly and generate revenue from the game, firing employees directly involved in development contradicts this goal.
Kurtzman worked at Bethesda for over 20 years, contributing to multiple projects with a focus on lore, background settings, and world design. In an interview with FRVR, he discussed the recent layoffs and questioned the decisions made by Bethesda's parent company, Xbox.
Kurtzman stated that Bethesda had not experienced layoffs of this nature before Microsoft acquired the studio and its parent company, ZeniMax. He agreed with criticisms previously raised by the Bethesda Employees Union, noting that while Xbox claimed to be reducing management layers, many of those affected were directly involved in game development.
"They didn't lay off the people managing the projects; they laid off the people actually making the games." Kurtzman noted that these employees had extensive experience at Bethesda, with some being among the best developers available to the project teams.
Those affected include Christiane Meister, a senior artist with 27 years at Bethesda who worked on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4. Two other laid-off employees were Ray Lederer, a concept designer with 18 years of service, and Ben Carnow, who was responsible for weapon and creature design.
Kurtzman also questioned the decision from a business perspective. He stated that developers involved in projects help complete games, improve the final product, and accelerate production progress, making it difficult to understand why these personnel would be laid off while planning to profit from The Elder Scrolls VI.
The Elder Scrolls VI still has no confirmed release date. Kurtzman's comments have reignited discussions about how Bethesda's staffing decisions and layoffs might impact future project development.