- The Elder Scrolls 6 will have been announced for a decade or longer by the time it arrives.
- Recent discussions around the title suggest it won’t be released for at least a few more years.
- Bethesda’s decision to take all the time it needs is a wise one, especially because games like Cyberpunk 2077 have suffered due to rushed releases.
The wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 has been painstakingly long, and it has come to the point where GTA 6 will arrive before Bethesda’s next venture into The Elder Scrolls. Announced all the way back in 2018, the game has had far from anything substantial shown so far.
In fact, every time an update regarding the RPG arrives, fans can’t help but brace themselves for more bad news. Nearly a full decade after its first announcement, it’s saddening to think that the title is still nowhere near releasing as of today.
Why it matters: The Elder Scrolls remains an icon of the RPG genre, and fans have been awaiting Bethesda’s return to the award-winning series for many years.
A Long Road From Announcement
Nobody could have imagined waiting a full decade for The Elder Scrolls 6 when it was first announced, but here we are. Modern game development has proven time and again to be unpredictable, and in today’s era, delays are practically a given.
You need only look at how many times GTA 6 has been delayed to confirm this is the case. Moreover, because this is so, early game announcements eventually end up being detrimental to the studio and fandom.
Going through various new game announcements, it’s easy to see that these early reveals do more harm than good. Of course, the reality is that The Elder Scrolls 6 was never Bethesda’s true focus until recently, that is.
Until 2023, the team had its hands full with Starfield, an RPG that is still being updated to this day. It was only recently that Bethesda truly began working on The Elder Scrolls 6.
Recent Leaks And Documents Suggest More Waiting
Past documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft case showed that The Elder Scrolls 6 was expected to launch in 2026. However, the latest word on the street is that the RPG is not expected to arrive before 2028 or 2029.
Although Asha Sharma may be playing the game, it’s clear that the team has still not made substantial progress on The Elder Scrolls 6. This is exactly why the game’s marketing has been non-existent so far.
Of course, Bethesda can only do so much. The team is currently doing its best to update the Creation Engine for The Elder Scrolls 6 and make as ambitious an RPG as possible. All of this takes time and dedication, so the team isn’t really to blame here.
The Impact of Xbox Layoffs
Xbox’s latest layoffs and restructuring efforts have shaken teams like id Software within the Bethesda Softworks umbrella. These layoffs have even impacted Bethesda veterans who worked on IPs like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls previously.
Microsoft would have you believe that The Elder Scrolls 6 remains unimpacted by these changes, but this is something most people remain skeptical about. Veteran talent that understands proprietary technology is hard to come by these days, so losing even 10-20% of a team can be devastating to a project.
In the worst-case scenario, Xbox’s shake-up could add another 6-12 months of work to The Elder Scrolls 6’s already-arduous development cycle.
Quality Over Everything Else
Ultimately, however, The Elder Scrolls 6 should be delayed over and over again, especially if the alternative is a broken release.
Cyberpunk 2077 proved just how badly a game’s potential can be hampered with a rushed release, and it wasn’t until three years after launch that the game truly showed glimpses of its original promise.
Bethesda understands that the stakes are high for its next big RPG, so the team is taking all the time that it needs. Moreover, The Elder Scrolls 6 could also prove to be a crucial first-party release for Xbox as it transitions to the Project Helix console.
In any case, the game cannot disappoint, and this is precisely why Bethesda is doing everything it can to ensure The Elder Scrolls 6 delivers on expectations come launch day.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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