Elder Scrolls 6 Release Date, Trailer Projections and Everything We Know

Posted By: Sophia Andrew

Posted On: January 12, 2024

It’s been over five years since the announcement of Elder Scrolls 6, but the release of Bethesda’s anticipated fantasy RPG still seems distant. Despite the massive success of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with over 60 million copies sold as of June 2023, Elder Scrolls 6 faces high expectations.

Debuted alongside the recently launched Starfield at Bethesda’s 2018 E3 conference, there’s been limited information about this open-world epic since the first teaser trailer. The gaming community eagerly awaits further developments.

When Will Elder Scrolls 6 Release?

As of now, Elder Scrolls 6 seems to be quite distant from its release. Bethesda Game Works (BGW), the team behind the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, recently launched Starfield in September 2023. This suggests that Elder Scrolls 6 might have only recently become the primary focus for the BGW team.

According to Todd Howard, the director of Bethesda Game Works, as of June 2022, Elder Scrolls 6 was still in “pre-production.” In his words to IGN, “Yes, ‘Elder Scrolls 6’ is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing ‘Fallout 5′ after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while. We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well.” This insight indicates that the development timeline for Elder Scrolls 6 may extend further into the future.

While Elder Scrolls 6 development has gained momentum, it’s still considered to be “in early development” as of August 2023, and it transitioned into full development shortly after the release of Starfield. According to Gamespot, Bethesda emphasized that fans shouldn’t expect any updates on Elder Scrolls 6 for the time being, as Starfield remains the primary focus.

Court documents from the Microsoft-Activision FTC dispute suggest that Elder Scrolls 6 might not hit the shelves until at least 2026, as reported by The Verge. Comparing this to the approximately eight-year gap between Bethesda Game Works’ last two major releases (Fallout 4 and Starfield), a release window around 2031 could be anticipated if Elder Scrolls 6 follows a similar cycle post-Starfield.

However, the waiting period is likely to be shorter. Building the brand-new Creation Engine 2 for Starfield presented a challenge for the Bethesda Game Works team, contributing to the extended development time. Now that this new framework is established, there’s potential for the release window to be narrowed by a couple of years. This could place the much-anticipated Elder Scrolls 6 on track for a release between 2027 and 2030.

When Will the Next Elder Scrolls 6 Trailer Come Out?

Since the initial unveiling of the Elder Scrolls 6 announcement trailer in 2018, fans have been eagerly awaiting another glimpse of the game. While there’s no sign of a second trailer for the upcoming RPG, enthusiasts are getting closer to another sneak peek.

Drawing a parallel with Starfield, which was introduced at the same 2018 press conference as Elder Scrolls 6 and only received a second look two years before its eventual launch, the pattern might repeat. If Elder Scrolls 6 is projected for release between 2027 and 2030, fans might have to wait until 2025, at the earliest, for another reveal.

However, this second glimpse could potentially be moved up. Starfield received a lukewarm critical reception, earning a solid but underwhelming 83 on Metacritic. If Bethesda (and its parent company Microsoft) aims to shift focus from Starfield due to its less-than-stellar impact, similar to how Skyrim captured attention in 2011, another trailer for Elder Scrolls 6 could potentially come as early as 2024.

Will Elder Scrolls 6 Be on PS5?

Following the release of games like Fallout 4 and Skyrim on both PlayStation and Xbox, uncertainties surround the platform availability of Elder Scrolls 6. In March 2021, Microsoft, the parent company of Xbox, completed the acquisition of ZeniMax Entertainment, the owner of Bethesda and Bethesda Game Works, for $7.5 billion. This acquisition has led to a shift in the exclusivity of games and franchises, turning them into Xbox and PC exclusives.

While there was initial uncertainty about an Elder Scrolls 6 release on PS5, it has now been all but confirmed that the title will not be available on the Sony-owned platform. According to Axios’ Stephen Totilo, the platforms for the game are “technically TBD” (To Be Determined), but Microsoft informed the FTC in September 2022 that “[The Elder Scrolls 6] may be released only on Xbox and PC.”

A chart presented in Totilo’s reporting from the Microsoft-FTC dispute indicated that the title, along with other Bethesda games, would not be released on PlayStation, aligning with previous statements from Xbox leadership. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, in a 2021 interview with GQ, expressed the desire to bring the full package to Xbox, naming Elder Scrolls 6 as one of the titles considered an Xbox exclusive:

“To be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about ‘Elder Scrolls 6.'”

Given the recent exclusivity of Bethesda games like Redfall and Starfield skipping PlayStation, it appears likely that Elder Scrolls 6 will follow suit, disappointing many PlayStation fans.

Where Will Elder Scrolls 6 Take Place?

The exact location within The Elder Scrolls’ mythical continent of Tamriel for Elder Scrolls 6 has yet to be revealed. In the previous game, players explored the snow-covered mountains of Skyrim, preceded by the lush forests and musky marshes of Cyrodiil.

While the brief teaser trailer for Elder Scrolls 6 provided a glimpse of the game’s locale, the limited content makes it challenging to discern much. Initially, there were rumors, based on a 2014 internal memo posted on Reddit, that the game would be set in Valenwood, the southwestern province known for its dense jungle-like forests and sprawling coastlines.

However, the prevailing theory has shifted towards the possibility of the game taking place in either Hammerfell or High Rock, locations featured in The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. Since Daggerfall, which was released almost 30 years ago, only a small portion of the vast Hammerfell and High Rock region has been explored. Therefore, a modern revisit to Tamriel’s northwest corner could be on the horizon.

Adding weight to the speculation, the official Elder Scrolls Twitter account posted in 2020, stating, “transcribe the past and map the future,” accompanied by an image of the Hammerfell region. This further fueled speculation about the setting of Elder Scrolls 6.

Certainly, while the tweet from the official Elder Scrolls Twitter accounts in 2020 might not explicitly confirm the setting for The Elder Scrolls 6, it could be interpreted as a subtle hint or nod to where the game might take place. The ambiguity adds an element of speculation and excitement for fans eagerly anticipating more details about the highly anticipated game.

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