The Elder Scrolls 6 is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated games in the community today. Morrowind and Oblivion captured the hearts of RPG lovers, cementing their love for the franchise. And after Skyrim’s monumental success, Elder Scrolls fans are understandably hyped for the next installation in the series.

However, it seems the next Elder Scrolls title won’t be coming anytime soon. Todd Howard has revealed that The Elder Scrolls 6 is 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

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The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced in June 2018, during that year’s E3 Conference. A teaser trailer was shown after Fallout 76’s gameplay reveal and a teaser for Starfield. The brief announcement video showcased a sprawling landscape that many believe to be The 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 that The Elder Scrolls 6 is one of its most awaited releases. Unfortunately, the developer has been silent about it ever since. Granted, Howard did explain during E3 2018 that The Elder Scrolls 6 was to be released after Starfield, but that doesn’t make the long wait any better for fans.

Fast-forward to the recent Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. While Starfield fans got an extensive look at its gameplay, systems, and environments, The Elder Scrolls 6 fans were left with nothing. News of Skyrim’s successor only came out after the showcase — and it wasn’t good news. In a recent interview, Howard disclosed that The Elder Scrolls 6 was still in its pre-production phase.

Considering that The Elder Scrolls 6 is set for after Starfield, it’ll probably be a couple of years before its release. Howard explains that the company wanted to focus its efforts on Starfield as it was Bethesda’s first new IP, and the team wanted to work on something new. That said, it doesn’t help that even Starfield’s release 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 announce The Elder Scrolls 6 when it did.

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A Divided Elder Scrolls Fanbase

Teaser art of The Elder Scrolls 6 with the Bethesda logo

Many in the community believe that The Elder Scrolls 6 was 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 what The Elder Scrolls 6 could be were soon replaced by criticisms that questioned the early announcement. Even Skyrim Grandma 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 of The Elder Scrolls 6 news. To them, the long wait is to be expected, considering how time-consuming the process of game development is — especially for a series as popular as The Elder Scrolls. To add to that, Bethesda has already said that The Elder Scrolls 6 will only come out after Starfield, 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 mainline Elder Scrolls entry. Moreover, Bethesda’s focus on online multiplayer games — namely, Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 — didn’t bode well for fans. Many thought that Bethesda had abandoned The Elder Scrolls 6, or even single-player games in general. As such, the early announcement was meant to placate the fanbase and assure them that The Elder Scrolls 6 was coming, albeit in a very long time.

The Waiting Game Continues

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Though these arguments make sense, it doesn’t stop the community from feeling impatient. As stated above, The Elder Scrolls 6 is 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 fans The 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 that The Elder Scrolls 6 still has years of development ahead of 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. With Starfield coming out in 2023, the production for The Elder Scrolls 6 probably won’t be in full force until then. And assuming that it’s still in the pre-production stage, then the long-awaited entry to The Elder Scrolls franchise 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 have Starfield to try out, and the new IP will inevitably set expectations for both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development.

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