Bethesdahas a lot on their plate at the moment. In September 2023, the company launchedStarfield, an RPG that will presumably continue to receive patches and DLC for months or years. Then, Bethesda hasThe Elder Scrolls Onlineto contend with along with getting to work onThe Elder Scrolls 6. Those are the big projects, but the company is huge.
Even though Bethesda may be busy, it would be interesting if a small team reached out to big companies like Square Enix and Capcom. Maybe they would likeBethesda’shelp with reviving some of their classic RPGs? The following collaborations would be a huge deal for fans who have been waiting for sequels for decades.
This series began on PS2 with.hack//Infectionin 2002 in Japan and a year later in North America. There were four games in the original series, a bunch of spinoffs, and then there was a sequel trilogy, also on PS2, which was remastered in 2017.
Besides the 2022 Switch port of that remaster, the franchise has been gone from consoles since 2017. The core concept of all games revolves around a fake MMO called The World and the gameplay resemblesan action RPG. With their work onThe Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda could help Bandai Namco reboot this franchise as a true MMO or even just a multiplayer-focused RPG.
Dark Cloudisan exclusive series that has never left the PlayStation family. The first game was released in 2001 in North America with the sequel to follow in the West in 2003. The second game received an upscale port to the PS4 in 2016, but that has been it for the franchise.
These action RPGs had a unique system that allowed players to build towns. Bethesda has gotten quite good at blending RPGs with simulation mechanics. They could certainly help Level-5 improve their building and action RPG mechanics although it might be hard to get a sequel going with the rights being entangled with Sony.
Capcom was known for brawlers, platformers, and fighting games in the 80s and 90s. They had a few RPGs withDestiny of an Emperorbeing one of them. It was released in North America in 1990 and would receive a sequel in Japan a year later. That sequel never left Japan but players can get into it thanks to an English fan patch.
The story around these turn-based RPGs may look familiar as they use historical and legendary Chinese figures like Cao Cao just like in theRomance of the Three KingdomsorDynasty Warriorsfranchises. Bethesda has yet to set any of its games in an Asian territory, so this collaboration may make for a good opportunity to expand its cultural reach.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Armyis a mouthful of a name but its sequel,Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, is even wilder. The first game was released in 2006 while Western fans enjoyed the sequel in 2009.
This was late into the PS2’s life cycle as the PS3 had come out by this time as of 2006. These two spinoffs in theShin Megami Tenseifranchise took place in the early 1900s in Japan. While battles were randomized, the gameplay took on a more action RPG standard. Collaborating with Atlus for a sequel or reboot in this style would help Bethesda expand its cultural reach as well.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliancewas aDiablo-like action RPGthat focused on two things. It brought Marvel characters together to beat the living snot out of classic villains and it was a multiplayer game to boot. It launched in 2006 across a wide range of consoles, got a sequel in 2009, and then things went dark for a while.
That is until Activision handed over the reins to Koei Tecmo who made the third game,Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, a Switch exclusive. Microsoft should get back the rights for its Activision branch and then Activision should allow Bethesda to work on a sequel exclusive for the Xbox Series X/S.
Metal Gear Acidis one of the wildest spinoffs in the series. It was a collectible card RPG with tactical gameplay. It was released in 2005 in North America and its sequel would arrive a year later.
While the gameplay involved waiting on turns and using cards, a lot of the core aspects remained solid such as the cavalcade of strange bosses. Bethesda does have some training in the card RPG market thanks toThe Elder Scrolls: Legends, so they could conceivably make a good sequel with Konami’s blessing.
Parasite Evewas a classic 1998 PS1 game that blended classic RPG mechanics with action gameplay and a horror theme. It got a sequel in 2000 on PS1 and then a long time after that the final game,The 3rd Birthday, would be released on the PSP in the West in 2011.
The shooting mechanics have been rough in theFalloutgames, but Bethesda nailed the handling inStarfield. That makes them primed and ready to make a sequel toParasite Eve. Even a remake of the first game would be astounding which could help bypass the legal boundaries Square Enix has with the novel creator.
Pokemon Conquestis also technically a Koei Tecmo game although thePokemonrights fall under Nintendo and Game Freak’s influence. It’s a cheat to have two games from the company on here but it is worth it for this idea. There has only been one entry in the series, which was on the DS in 2012.
It was a tactical RPG that used Pokemon as the soldier units, but they were commanded by famous Japanese historical figures like Oda Nobunaga. That’s because this was a crossover with another big franchise,Nobunaga’s Ambition. Bethesda could createPokemon Conquest 2but instead have the game be acombination betweenFalloutandPokemon. It would make sense to have mutated monsters like Pokemon in the post-apocalypse, right?
