It is difficult to recall now, given The Elder Scrolls's monumental legacy, but the series's inaugural title, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, endured a challenging debut. While not critically panned—earning an 87 in PC Gamer's original review—it did not immediately capture widespread attention.
Ted Peterson, a designer involved in both Arena and its successor Daggerfall, reflected on the game's slow initial sales in a retrospective on Daggerfall's development. "Game stores ordered a certain number of copies, and when we didn't ship on time, they started cancelling," Peterson recalled. "To give you some context of how badly it did, the very, very first game I ever worked on was a retail pack for Terminator 2029, so you had to own the original game. That shipped more copies than Arena did early on." Peterson added that the game's eventual success was driven by positive word-of-mouth, stating, "It was a disaster in a lot of ways and somehow built a billion-dollar franchise."
This initial struggle was compounded by Bethesda's then-existing reputation. In a 1995 interview with PC Gamer, Bethesda president Christopher Weaver noted the company's uphill battle. "We were in unknown territory with Arena, and nobody seemed to believe that a company known for its sports games—no matter how good they were—could possibly break into a genre as insular, even fanatical, as RPGs. The word we were getting from buyers out in the field was: 'Hey, you guys can't do that!'"
Prior to Arena, Bethesda was primarily recognized for sports titles such as Wayne Gretzky Hockey 3 and Gridiron!, and had even assisted Electronic Arts with John Madden Football, a relationship that culminated in a lawsuit over a promised rerelease of Gridiron! The shift from being known as the "sports guys" to RPG developers was a significant undertaking, but Arena ultimately achieved it. The idea of a modern Elder Scrolls 6 release being delayed due to a sports game underscores how far Bethesda's brand has come.