Creation Engine

Screenshot fromThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:player character using fire magic against giant spiders
Developer(s)	Bethesda Game Studios
Initial release	November 2011; 13 years ago (2011-11)
Written in	C++
Middleware	Scaleform,Havok Behavior,Radiant AI,Radiant Story
Platform	Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
License	Proprietary

Creation Engine is a3D video game engine created byBethesda Game Studios based on theGamebryo engine. The Creation Engine has been used to createrole-playing video games such asThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,Fallout 4, andFallout 76. A new iteration of the engine, Creation Engine 2, was used to createStarfield. The Creation Engine has been tailor-made for large-scale open-world RPGs.^[1]

After using theGamebryo engine to createThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind,The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, andFallout 3, Bethesda decided that Gamebryo's capabilities were becoming too outdated and began work on the Creation Engine for their next game,The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, byforking the codebase used forFallout 3.

Following the completion ofSkyrim, Bethesda set out to enhance the graphical core of the Creation Engine by first adding aphysically baseddeferred renderer to allow for more dynamic lighting and to paint materials object surfaces with realistic materials. Bethesda worked with technology companyNvidia to implementvolumetric lighting through a technique that makes use ofhardware tesselation.^[2][3] Additionally the updated version of the Creation Engine powering Bethesda'sFallout 4 offers more advanced character generation.^[4][5][6]

Bethesda Game Studios Austin (at the time BattleCry Studios) was tasked with modifying the Creation Engine to support multiplayer content in preparation for the development ofFallout 76 shortly before the release ofFallout 4, while Bethesda Game Studios began development ofStarfield and downloadable content forFallout 4. In conjunction withid Software (a fellowZeniMax subsidiary), BattleCry attempted to integrate id'sQuakenetcode intoFallout 4's engine. This was considered a challenge by experts in the online game industry. A primary issue facing the developers was that components of the core engine (dating back to Gamebryo used inThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind) such as quests or world loading were designed centering on a single player (dubbed "Atlas" by the developers for its role in holding up the fabric of the loaded game world), a paradigm that would need to fundamentally change to allow multiple players spanning multiple worlds.^[7]

In addition to the network changes to the engine used inFallout 4, theFallout 76 implementation of the engine was described at the game's E3 reveal as having "all new rendering, lighting, and landscape technology". Bethesda Game Studios claims the improvements also allow for a 16× increase in detail and the ability to view unique weather systems occurring at a distance.^[8]

Bethesda revealed in June 2021 that they were working on a new iteration of the engine called Creation Engine 2, and that it would power their upcoming gamesStarfield andThe Elder Scrolls VI.^{[9][10][11][12]} Creation Engine 2 features real-time global illumination and advanced volumetric lighting.^[13] Creation Engine 2 also features improved post-processing effects, and upgrades to animation and physics.^[14][15]

• Havok Behavior is a flexible animation tool that allows the developers to blend animations together in a few clicks. This means that animations such as walking and running can be blended together seamlessly to make the animations look much more realistic. This important addition enabled Bethesda to improve character animations in their games.^[16]
• An upgraded version ofRadiant AI allowsnon-player characters (NPCs) to dynamically react and interact with the world around them. The player can observe an NPC eat breakfast, go to work, go to the pub, and then go to sleep. The improved AI allows NPCs to react to the player's actions and they can become friendly or hostile to the player because of their actions.^[16]
• Radiant Story allows for NPCs to dynamically create new quests for the player in unexplored places.^[16]
• In previous games, Bethesda licensedSpeedTree for trees and foliage, but when makingSkyrim with Creation Engine, the Bethesda team made their own foliage rendering system. The new system is capable of rendering larger amounts of foliage at one time and allows for more freedom with animations.^[16]

The Creation Kit is amodding tool for Creation Engine games. The Creation Kit takes advantage of the Creation Engine's modular nature. It was created by Bethesda Game Studios for the modding community ofThe Elder Scrolls series.^[17] The tool can be used to create worlds, races, NPCs, weapons, update textures, and fix bugs. Mods created using this tool are hosted on theSteam Workshop,Nexus Mods, Bethesda.net and various other sites.

AFallout 4–compatible Creation Kit was released in April 2016.^[18]

The Creation Kit is a new version of Bethesda's editor developed for Gamebryo, known as The Elder Scrolls Construction Set forThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind andThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and as the Garden of Eden Creation Kit forFallout 3 (referencing an in-game item of the same name).

A new Creation Kit with support forStarfield's Creation Engine 2 was released on June 9, 2024.^[19]

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)^[16]
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition (2016)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR (2017)
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition (2021)
• Fallout 4 (2015)^[4]
  • Fallout 4 VR (2017)
• Fallout 76 (2018)^[7]

• Starfield (2023)^[20]
• The Elder Scrolls VI (TBA)^[21]

• 2011 software
• 3D graphics software
• The Elder Scrolls
• Fallout (franchise)
• Proprietary software
• Video game engines
• ZeniMax Media

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