Given how outrageously popular Skyrim is, it always seemed weird to me that there were no big publishers trying to copy their formula. We have a entire genre of Dark Souls inspired games, but Bethesda games have no copycats.
I think the challenge here is that Bethesda games are more of a platform than a game. DS delivered a very unique and interesting gameplay loop and a very effective interpretation of "action RPG", so naturally devs look at their output when designing their own titles.
Bethesda's strong point is original and highly moddable engine, and that's more of a company asset than design principle. I am sure devs look at how Bethesda designs open worlds, but that's really all worth learning from their games no?
And Avowed will not be Elder Scrolls6:
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CEO Feargus Urquhart told me that in scope Avowed is more akin to Obsidian's past RPGs like The Outer Worlds in size than it is a sprawling open world a la Skyrim, though that was actually Obsidian's initial pitch. When the developers sat down and focused on what Obsidian does best—stories and companions, in particular—the more compact scale came naturally.
