Bethesda made its presence felt at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, spotlighting major updates for two of its long-running live service games: The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76. Both titles are getting substantial new content, with each update leaning into the communities that have kept these games going for years.

The Elder Scrolls Online is kicking off what the team is calling a new era for the game, built around a format known as Seasons. Season One is titled Return of the Thieves Guild, and it marks the first new story content centered on the Thieves Guild since 2016. The update builds directly on that original storyline, bringing back the guild alongside a new cast of characters and a fresh narrative. Players will work with the guild to take on a criminal organization called the Koldane Cartel, with the story expanding into the region of Daggerfall. Beyond the main story, Season One is also bringing what the developers describe as evergreen systems, meaning ongoing features designed to give players new ways to interact with the game’s characters, factions, and world over time.

Fallout 76, meanwhile, is getting a new type of encounter called Infestations. These are high-challenge events that see dangerous factions seizing control of locations across Appalachia, turning familiar spots into hostile territory. Players can head into these overrun zones, fight through unpredictable enemies, and take on elite bosses that come with unique mutations and combat mechanics. Clearing these Infestations rewards players with exclusive four-star Legendary items. The events are designed to appear organically throughout the world, giving players the chance to drop into intense, raid-style fights as part of their regular time in the game. Infestations also marks Fallout 76’s 68th free update since launch, which works out to roughly eight free content and system updates per year on average.

Together, the two announcements show Bethesda continuing to invest in games that have been live for several years, with both updates shaped in part by feedback from their respective player communities.