Todd Howard, Bethesda Games Studio Director and Executive Producer, has divulged that The Elder Scrolls VI is still in the design phase of production. Publisher Bethesda Softworks announced the project during an E3 2018 conference, wherein viewers received a quick teaser trailer that showed little more than a vast landscape.
Of course, that very same showcase also saw Bethesda Game Studios let loose cursory details about its first new IP in more than two decades - Starfield. The space-set sci-fi RPG has long been promised to release years ahead of the next Elder Scrolls entry, a promise that Bethesda set in stone this past E3 by confirming a launch date. Starfield, then, will hit PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 11, 2022, 11 years to the day after the rollout of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Once the sci-fi adventure hits stores, the BGS crew will likely begin full production on the long-awaited follow-up to the 2011 hit.
Speaking with The Telegraph, Bethesda Games Studios executive Todd Howard explained that it's best to think of The Elder Scrolls VI as a project that's still in the "design" stages of development. The team, however large or small it may be, presently has its focus geared towards "checking the tech," an effort to ensure BGS' proprietary tools can fulfill the needs of the new installment. Howard told the publication the following,
"It’s good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]… but we’re checking the tech: 'Is this going to handle the things we want to do in that game?' Every game will have some new suites of technology, so Elder Scrolls 6 will have some additions on to Creation Engine 2 that that game is going to require.”
All of the above indicates that Elder Scrolls VI remains several years out from release, which hardly comes as surprising news. This especially holds true since Bethesda Softworks leads such as Pete Hines, SVP of Global Marketing and Communications, have made it abundantly clear that the wait for the eagerly-anticipated title won't come to an end anytime soon.
Since both titles will be powered by Creation Engine 2, Starfield's launch next fall should provide a decent look at what Bethesda may have in store for The Elder Scrolls VI in terms of technical achievements. Admittedly, the original Creation Engine boasts more than its fair share of limitations, evidenced in the hiccups that plagued Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. But here's to hoping the game engine's new iteration can iron out any lingering kinks.
Source: The Telegraph