As promised, Bethesda had plenty of surprises in store for fans at its E3 2018 press conference. One of the biggest surprises, though, was when the publisher capped off its presentation by confirming that The Elder Scrolls 6 is in fact in development. But only with a logo and a brief look at a possible setting to go on, much of The Elder Scrolls 6 is still shrouded in mystery.

Something we don't know about The Elder Scrolls 6 is when it will actually be available to play. However, Todd Howard's comments at E3 may at least offer an idea of when the game will be available. Howard confirmed The Elder Scrolls 6 to be in development right after stating that the company's upcoming sci-fi RPG, Starfield, will be a next-generation game, and that ES6 would launch at some point after Starfield.

Considering this, it seems highly unlikely that The Elder Scrolls 6 will launch for modern consoles, which means PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are likely out of the question. However, it's reasonable to assume that fans will see the game release for PlayStation 5 and the next Xbox, currently known by its codename Scarlet, as well as PCs.

If one looks at the history of Bethesda Game Studios, the team at Bethesda behind most of the company's Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, it's easier to pinpoint when Elder Scrolls 6 may be available. Typically, Bethesda Game Studios takes three to four years to release a new game. With Fallout 76 launching this November, that means Starfield should drop around 2021, and The Elder Scrolls 6 will follow in 2024 or 2025, assuming Bethesda keeps with its release pattern.

That is a very long time to wait, and will put almost 15 years between the launch of Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6. However, it would allow the next Elder Scrolls to launch in the middle of the next console generation, meaning that it could better take advantage of the power of those consoles.

Of course, it's possible Elder Scrolls 6 will release well before then, but we'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully Bethesda shares more information about the game, including the setting teased in the trailer, at next year's E3.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development for next-generation platforms.