Since the launcher is shutting down, Bethesda needs another convenient way to distribute these games. They were available through Bethesda's controversial game launcher, which is shutting down this year presumably since nobody really used it. If you weren't aware of this, don't feel too bad. Bethesda offers several of its oldest games to the public for free, including greats like The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall. If so, you might think it's too late to experience the classics – but you'd be wrong. Perhaps the gentle, rolling hills and lazy rivers of Oblivion or the alien atmosphere of Morrowind are what you grew up with. If you weren't gaming back in the 90s and early 2000s, you might have missed this shift at Bethesda.

Instead of making old-school RPGs catered to a niche audience, Bethesda develops AAA experiences designed to appeal to as many people as possible. Talent has arrived and left, and the developer's priorities and approach to game design have shifted substantially. In context: The Bethesda Softworks we know today is a very different beast than it was three decades ago.

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