Skyrim lead designer Bruce Nesmith recently discussed the design philosophies of Bethesda Game Studios and Larian Studios, finding merit in Baldur's Gate 3's approach to consequential storytelling while defending the open-ended nature of Bethesda's RPGs.
Speaking on The Examined Game YouTube channel, Nesmith expressed that it was "joyful" to see the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset brought to life so effectively in Baldur's Gate 3. He noted that while Larian Studios did a "magnificent job," he was particularly surprised by how positive the experience felt when making decisions that closed off other gameplay paths. "I felt like the decisions I made had more meaning in certain ways, because there were actual consequences," Nesmith stated. He added that to see alternative outcomes, a player would need to create a new character and pursue different choices.
Despite this appreciation for Baldur's Gate 3's narrative structure, Nesmith remains a proponent of Bethesda's design philosophy, which he described as "let the player play everything." This approach means players can engage with all available factions and questlines without restriction. "There is nothing that your character can't play. That's a very good philosophy. I support that philosophy," he affirmed.
Nesmith concluded that both approaches can be fun, just in different ways. He highlighted that the lesson learned was that "You can have both," meaning players can enjoy games that offer branching, consequential narratives as well as those that provide maximum freedom.
PC Gamer's Ted Litchfield agreed with Nesmith's assessment, noting that Bethesda games traditionally maximize player freedom, with players or modders often being the ones to introduce roleplaying restrictions. Litchfield pointed to past Bethesda titles like Morrowind and even Skyrim itself, citing the Civil War questline, the Dawnguard expansion, and the alternate Dark Brotherhood ending as examples where player choices led to mutually exclusive paths or consequences, adding depth to the game worlds. He expressed a desire to see more such opportunities in future Elder Scrolls titles.