Bethesda celebrates 40 years with new logo and anniversary video

Forty years after the company began its work, Bethesda Game Studios has published an official anniversary video in which Todd Howard, the studio’s director, looks back at its history. The celebration also includes a new logo and a sale with discounts of up to 85% on games and DLC at partner stores.

The video, titled “Celebrating 40 Years of Bethesda Game Studios”, focuses on the journey shared with the player community. Along the way, Howard recalls titles such as Gridiron and The Terminator, and the franchises The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Starfield. The official profile of the company on X summed up the message with the phrase “40 years of adventures.”

Bethesda reveals a 40th anniversary logo inspired by the 1990s

Bethesda revealed the new logo on July 31, 2026, through the official profile of the company on X. The design takes its inspiration from the visual style of the 1990s, the period of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and the company itself acknowledged the reference.

Read also: New partnership between Bethesda and Obsidian brings new game and remasters of the Fallout franchise

The anniversary celebrates the company, which began its activities on June 28, 1986. The video’s title, however, refers to Bethesda Game Studios, the name the studio uses in its official anniversary page.

Todd Howard recounts the studio’s history in the anniversary video

According to the official anniversary page, the studio will look at its 40 years through the memories of its developers. The page also promises an update on the future of the studio from Todd Howard, but the content of that message has not been confirmed.

Keep reading: Bethesda clarifies future of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout after layoffs

Bethesda Publisher Sale: discounts of up to 85% on games and DLC

As part of the celebrations, Bethesda launched a new edition of the Bethesda Publisher Sale. The promotion covers games and DLC sold at partner stores, and the discounts reach up to 85%. The end date of the offer was not disclosed.

• Start of the company’s activities: June 28, 1986
• Logo revealed: July 31, 2026, on the official profile on X
• Maximum discount in the Bethesda Publisher Sale: up to 85%
• Scope of the sale: games and DLC in partner stores
• End date of the sale: not disclosed

Studio history from sports simulators to The Elder Scrolls

The company was founded by engineer Christopher Weaver in Bethesda, Maryland, United States, the city that gave the studio its name. It started with sports simulators for MS-DOS, such as Wayne Gretzky Hockey, and moved to role-playing games in the 1990s. The Elder Scrolls: Arena, released in 1994, marked the start of the franchise. Later, the ZeniMax Media holding, created in 1999, brought the studio together with other companies. In 2020, Microsoft announced the purchase of ZeniMax Media for US$ 7.5 billion, and in 2021 the deal was concluded, with Bethesda joining Xbox Game Studios.

• 1986: company begins with sports and action titles for computers
• 1994: The Elder Scrolls: Arena is released
• 1999: ZeniMax Media is created as a holding company
• 2020: Microsoft announces the purchase of ZeniMax Media for US$ 7.5 billion
• 2021: acquisition concluded, and Bethesda joins Xbox Game Studios

The Elder Scrolls 6 and the studio’s future: what is still unknown

On July 31, 2026, Bethesda stated that the development of The Elder Scrolls 6 was not affected by the staff cuts at the studio. The name of the next major fantasy adventure has not been confirmed by the company. The exact publication date of the anniversary video was also not confirmed by the sources available, which indicate only that the video is recent.