Bethesda has confirmed today that The Elder Scrolls VI is now in early development. This comes from Bethesda’s head of publishing Pete Hines, who in an interview with gaming news site Vandal regarding the impending release of Starfield, was asked about any news on The Elder Scrolls VI. Hines confirmed saying that, “there are people working on The Elder Scrolls VI, but this is what the studio has focused on. So no, at no time early are you going to hear about The Elder Scrolls VI at all. Starfield is our focus for now, and it will continue to be our priority for a while before we talk about anything else.” Asked what stage of development the game is currently in, Hines confirmed it is indeed in early development.
It may come as a surprise to many that The Elder Scrolls VI is only now in ‘early development’ especially that Bethesda director Todd Howard made a big announcement of Elder Scrolls VI way back in 2018 being in pre-development, however it’s rather common for massive titles to be in development for years before they even see an expected release date. Recently in June, during testimony regarding the FTC trial with Activision Blizzard, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer clarified that Elder Scrolls VI would likely be released five or more years away, potentially skipping an entire console generation entirely.
The confirmation from Hines comes ahead of the highly anticipated release of Starfield, Bethesda’s first new original property in nearly 29 years. Set to release September 1st for those who purchased the special edition can access it early, with the standard edition releasing September 6th. The game is already out in the hands of reviewers with the review embargo lifting August 31st.
Fans of The Elder Scrolls have been waiting to see what’s next for the decades-long franchise, with the previous entry The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, released back over a decade ago now in 2011. Skyrim which has been earned itself being a modern classic, has seen graphical updates in remasters, a VR version, and thousands of mods, many from dedicated fans who expand upon the game’s lore and gameplay. For now, players will have to wait, or can dip into the MMORPG from ZeniMax Studios, Elder Scrolls Online, which still sees yearly expansions and updates.