Last Updated on May 28, 2025 @ 17:59:08 PM.
Nate Purkeypile spent much of his formative game development years at Bethesda, helping create some of the best open-world RPG worlds ever seen in the likes of Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Skyrim and some of Starfield, but after leaving Bethesda to carve his own path in the indie scene, he’s been opening up about his true feelings of the company and its latest release, as well as his hopes for the future of the company.
During a lengthy chat with ourselves centred around his latest indie release Deedlee Doo! Carkour!, we made sure to ask Purkeypile what advice he’d give Bethesda, given the opportunity, and he didn’t mince his words:
I just hope they go back to their roots a bit and embrace the personal expression of devs and having things a bit weirder. I think Starfield is a bit too sterile of a game, and that’s why it doesn’t resonate with quite as many people. I’m excited to see how The Elder Scrolls 6 turns out, and I hope it’s what people want.
Considering the consensus surrounding Starfield, Purkeypile isn’t particularly wrong in what he’s saying. There’s a fair chance it’s a sentiment shared by many gamers, developers, and people in the industry. Still, it’ll be interesting to see whether Bethesda does, in fact, course correct and end up giving us more Skyrim-like magic with The Elder Scrolls 6, or if they’ll continue to push down the same route with procedurally generated environments like that 1,000+ planets of Starfield. With such a huge, almost too-big team at Bethesda now, the manpower is there for them to return to form for sure, but with more misses than hits in recent times, it’s not a given.
During the same chat, Purkeypile also explained not only his decision to make Deedlee Doo! Carkour!, but how he doesn’t see an immediate return to the corporate side of the gaming industry, even admitting of his latest release:
It is nice working on things on my own terms and not worrying about politics, meetings, and convincing people to do things. Maybe at some point, but not right now, and I’m really enjoying just making whatever weird, dumb idea I have. There’s no way this thing would have been greenlit at a real studio.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our discussion with the Dying Light franchise director about The Beast, or how we could see more of our favorite protagonist in the future of Sniper Elite. Otherwise, follow Thumb Wars on X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to keep up with the latest news, reviews, and interviews!
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Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
