The Elder Scrolls 6is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated games in the community today.MorrowindandOblivioncaptured the hearts of RPG lovers, cementing their love for the franchise. And afterSkyrim’smonumental success,Elder Scrollsfans are understandably hyped for the next installation in the series.
However, it seems the nextElder Scrollstitle won’t be coming anytime soon. Todd Howard has revealed thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is still in pre-production, meaning it’ll take years before players see its release — and they aren’t happy. If anything, the prolonged wait just goes to show how detrimental early announcements can be for an upcoming game.
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A Timeline of The Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls 6was first announcedin June 2018, during that year’s E3 Conference. A teaser trailer was shown afterFallout 76’sgameplay reveal and a teaser forStarfield. The brief announcement video showcased a sprawling landscape that many believe to beThe Elder Scrolls’Hammerfell, backed by the familiar soundtrack and topped off with “The Elder Scrolls VI” appearing on screen.
Unsurprisingly, this reveal was met with thunderous applause. Howard even described the game as “the one you [the fans] keep asking about.” Clearly, Bethesda is aware thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is one of its most awaited releases. Unfortunately, the developer has been silent about it ever since. Granted, Howard did explain during E3 2018 thatThe Elder Scrolls 6was to be released afterStarfield, but that doesn’t make the long wait any better for fans.
Fast-forward to the recent Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. WhileStarfieldfans got an extensive look at its gameplay, systems, and environments,The Elder Scrolls 6fans were left with nothing. News ofSkyrim’ssuccessor only came out after the showcase — and it wasn’t good news. In a recent interview, Howard disclosed thatThe Elder Scrolls 6was still in its pre-production phase.
Considering thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is set for afterStarfield, it’ll probably be a couple of years before its release. Howard explains that the company wanted to focus its efforts onStarfieldas it was Bethesda’s first new IP, and the team wanted to work on something new. That said, it doesn’t help that evenStarfield’srelease was moved to 2023, further delaying the production of Bethesda’s next titles. The more time passes, the more the hype dies down and the more fans feel disheartened by the radio silence. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for Bethesda to announceThe Elder Scrolls 6when it did.
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A Divided Elder Scrolls Fanbase
Many in the community believe thatThe Elder Scrolls 6was announced much too early, leading players to question why Bethesda ever announced it in the first place. All it did was generate hype for a game that wasn’t coming out anytime soon. Of course, it did liven up the community for some time, with hundreds of theories and expectations popping up all over the internet.
However, when the developer didn’t release any news or updates in the following years, the hype eventually fizzled out, resulting in exasperation among the fanbase. The videos and articles covering whatThe Elder Scrolls 6could be were soon replaced by criticisms that questioned the early announcement. EvenSkyrimGrandma wanted Bethesda to “hurry up” with development, echoing the community’s sentiments.
That said, another side of the fanbase isn’t too bothered by the lack ofThe Elder Scrolls 6news. To them, the long wait is to be expected, considering how time-consuming the process of game development is — especially for aseries as popular asThe Elder Scrolls. To add to that, Bethesda has already said thatThe Elder Scrolls 6will only come out afterStarfield, so the delays are understandable.
Another perspective on the early announcement has to do with the state of Bethesda at the time. 2018 marked the seventh year of Bethesda’s silence regarding the next mainlineElder Scrollsentry. Moreover,Bethesda’s focus on online multiplayer games— namely,Elder Scrolls OnlineandFallout 76— didn’t bode well for fans. Many thought that Bethesda had abandonedThe Elder Scrolls 6, or even single-player games in general. As such, the early announcement was meant to placate the fanbase and assure them thatThe Elder Scrolls 6was coming, albeit in a very long time.
The Waiting Game Continues
Though these arguments make sense, it doesn’t stop the community from feeling impatient. As stated above,The Elder Scrolls 6is arguably Bethesda’s most awaited game, so fans are bound to grow exasperated as more years pass by without a word on the upcoming entry.
Now, it’s worth noting that Bethesda doesn’t owe its fansThe Elder Scrolls 6. The company isn’t obligated to release the game any earlier or later than it wants to. The issue here is the developer’s decision to announce the game as far back as 2018. Knowing thatThe Elder Scrolls 6still has years of development aheadof it, Bethesda has turned a portion of the fanbase against the company. Whether this backlash is justified is another matter entirely, but it’s definitely there. And the longer the game is delayed, the more it’ll grow — such is the downside of extremely early game announcements.
All that said, it seems waiting is the only course of action for hopefuls and naysayers alike. WithStarfieldcoming out in 2023, the production forThe Elder Scrolls 6probably won’t be in full force until then. And assuming that it’s still in the pre-production stage, then the long-awaited entry toThe Elder Scrollsfranchise may very well be set for a 2025 (perhaps even a much later) release.
Hopefully, Bethesda releases more news and teaser content next year, but many fans have since stopped expecting. Well, at least the community will haveStarfieldto try out, and the new IP will inevitably setexpectations for bothThe Elder Scrolls 6andFallout 5.
