Over the past couple of weeks, behind the scenes, we have been thinking and talking about the likely impact of Fallout 4, and the future of the site. It's now time to open up this discussion to everyone - and your views are welcomed on this important topic.
I think quite a few of us held out some hope that the much-awaited Bethesda announcement at E3 was going to be Elder Scrolls VI. Of course, we now know it will be Fallout 4 - and that's fine, because many of us here are stoked for Fallout 4 almost as much as for Elder Scrolls VI.
But that does leave us with some important considerations for this site. The reality is that this site has been gently declining in activity and fresh content for quite some time. That's absolutely inevitable when we are dealing with a game that is rapidly approaching its 4th birthday. There are only so many tips and tricks, only so many role-play ideas, only so much lore - heck, even the well of possible Character Build ideas has to run dry at some point.
Now that we know - or at least surmise - that we likely won't be getting Elder Scrolls VI for at least a couple of years (we assume that from the regular Bethesda cycle) then we have realised that this site - in its current form - can't last that long without lapsing into a coma!
Therefore, we are looking to make TWO important changes to the site.
Firstly, we plan to hugely increase the place of Fallout on this site. That doesn't just mean tucking it away in a group in a corner. It means giving space to what is going to be a flood of Fallout 4 news, videos, images and information leading up to release - and then gameplay tips, walkthroughs, lore and - of course - builds, once the game actually arrives.
Let me state right here and now, this does NOT mean that we will be reducing or diminishing the place of Skyrim on the site. No Skyrim content will be removed. There will still be all the existing groups, features, polls, builds and everything else that you have come to know and love. We are talking about adding Fallout, not subtracting Skyrim. You need to hear this loud and clear.
This leads to the second change, and this relates to the site name. I called this site 'The Skyrim Blog' when I started it in April 2011 because it was a blog about Skyrim. It is no longer a blog (although there blogs here, of course) and it needs to evolve from being just about Skyrim. Of course, in gentle ways we have already expanded the games that we cover - with groups for Fallout, Mass Effect and Elder Scrolls Classics. It's now time to give that a big hefty shove in that direction. That means a brand new name which properly describes what this site is - and will be - about.
Now listen, I know that we are all attached to the name. But there is not one person here who is more attached to it than I am. I came up with the name in the first place. So if I can stand to change the name, then it shouldn't be beyond the rest of you 
The more difficult question is what to change the name of the site to. Believe me, we've had a multitude of suggestions in The Elder Council. Some good, some bad, others just plain bizarre. It's actually pretty hard to come up with a really good name that encapsulates both Elder Scrolls and Fallout. If you've got any gems of wisdom, then by all means add them to the comments...
So, that's where we are right now. It's time to take a leap into the future, and evolve our beloved site from what its been for the past four years into something that's lean and fit for the future. Your views, comments, questions and ideas on this are most welcome - but don't hang around, as we are going to be moving fast on this one!
As always, we look forward to your comments
Comments
Those will be collected on separate thread - but not today. We've got a Deathmarch coming, and the Bethesda E3 thing tomorrow to cover over the next few days.