The Elder Scrolls VI: Every Rumour & Confirmed Detail So Far
11. Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is a relatively new art in video game creation.
Designers go out into the real world and take multiple photographs of things like rocks and trees from different angles, then these are scanned into software, the relevant object isolated, then added to a game. This allows for graphics to have literal photo-realism to them and gives open-world games that sense of reality as rocks and trees seem more natural.
Mentioned in the Celebrate 25 Years Of The Elder Scrolls video, photogrammetry is being used in the latest entry not just as a way to create more realistic landscapes. The technique is even being used to bring real-life people into the game for a more immersive experience than ever before.
The worry with photogrammetry is that it results in a game that is ultra-realistic while taking aeons to load, and that's not ideal for a streaming world game. That's where streaming-focused middleware comes in, allowing the realism of photogrammetry to be broken down into the more usual palettes of textures and items, while considerably reducing loading times.
This would require building on the existing engine, but if any company can do that, it's Bethesda.