Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-28664595-20160605220956/@comment-25356303-20160606002909

Bethesda is still following the lore that he sets up, and he's in regular contact with a number of Bethesada writers (such as Kurt Kuhlmann, if memory serves). So what he's written after leaving Bethesda really isn't fanfiction; it's an additional part of the lore. That's why we give him "special privileges," not purely because of his past works.

By the way, Bethesda makes a point to rarely comment on what is and isn't considered "canon" in the series. They won't ever come out and say, "This is canon and this isn't."