One of the biggest surprises from Bethesda's press conference at E3 2018 was when it revealed The Elder Scrolls: Blades. The game will bring the popular fantasy RPG series to iOS and Android devices, and what's more is that it will be released later this year. Unfortunately, though, it seems that its initial fall release date has slipped somewhat.

Initially, The Elder Scrolls: Blades pre-order page on the iOS App Store stated that the game would be available on September 1. However, alarm bells were sounded when not only did the September 1 date come and go with no word of the game's arrival, but also when Bethesda brought an old demo of the game to PAX West 2018.

Those who had been present at Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference and at PAX West say that the hands-on demos of the game were with the exact same build. This is highly unusual, for if the game was about to be released imminently, Bethesda would want to show off an updated build in order to get the hype train rolling. This confusion led people to revisit the game's pre-order page, only to discover that the estimated release date for the game now reads "December 1."

The Elder Scrolls Blades new release date

It is also concerning that there has been no word about the game's proposed early access. Early access had been promoted as one of the key reasons to pre-register for the game, but there has been no word about it since that E3 2018 reveal. The Elder Scrolls: Blades is an incredibly ambitious game, promising features like town customization, looting, and even an endless dungeon combat experience.

Bethesda has acknowledged that pre-release testing is massively important for its games, hence why it is hosting a Fallout 76 beta. As such, fans will hope that with the delay this early access hasn't been scrapped too.

The one positive to take from this is that if The Elder Scrolls: Blades has been delayed, at least the new release date isn't too far away. Another major draw to the game is that it would be able to keep Elder Scrolls fans entertained until The Elder Scrolls 6 is eventually released. When considering that, an additional three-month wait doesn't seem so bad. It's still disappointing, but at least the game doesn't require fans to purchase a new calendar just to keep track of it.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades will be released on Android and iOS devices.

Source: TouchArcade