The Elder Scrolls 6was announced at E3 2018, and since then there’s barely been a single detail confirmed by Bethesda beyond the game’s existence itself. Even the nextElder Scrolls' full title and setting have remained mysterious, although a detail inStarfield’s E3 trailer resembling a map of High Rock and Hammerfell has led to many fans considering those provinces frontrunners. The silence from Bethesda, however, has been so deafening that many fans of the studio have long-suspected that the game’s 2018 announcement was intended to diffuse any potential negative coverage of controversial multiplayerFallout 76, unveiled at the same convention.
Starfieldis Bethesda Game Studios' next big RPG release, and fans only just received key details about the game at E3 2021, under two years before its release date. The lack of news aboutThe Elder Scrollsand Bethesda’s focus onStarfieldmakes it seem likely thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is still in the early phases of development and will not be released until the mid-2020s. With everything up in the air, if fans want to make their voices heard when it comes to the nextElder Scrolls' direction, now is the time.
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Bethesda’s Experimental Phase
Bethesda has been going through something of an experimental phase since the release ofSkyrim. AlthoughFallout 4’s release continued Bethesda’s reliance on its two major IPs, it also introduced some features few fans expected. These included the settlement-building system, the voiced protagonist, and the third-person, wheel-based dialogue system found ingames likeMass Effect.
SinceFallout 4’s first forays into tweaking the studio’s RPG formula, Bethesda Game Studios has released its first major multiplayer game inFallout 76and is now shifting its focus to its first new IP in over 25 years inStarfield.The Elder Scrolls 6will very likely integrate or rework some of the more experimental features found in Bethesda’s games sinceSkyrim. WithFallout 4,Fallout 76, and seeminglyStarfieldall using settlement-building mechanics, for example,The Elder Scrolls 6seems likely to follow suit, especially afterSkyrim’s Hearthfire DLC laying part of the foundation forFallout 4’s system.
There have also been rumors about some experimental new features comingThe Elder Scrolls 6’s way. Back in March video gameleaker Tiffany Treadmoreclaimed thatThe Elder Scrolls 6’s retail release would include survival mechanics. In the same series of tweets, she also mentioned that the game could potentially include a rune-drawing mechanic which would seemingly tie into a revised spell-system, including the return of custom spells fromOblivionandMorrowind.
Skyrimmay be a classic, but since its release there have not been many first-person RPGs able to emulate its immense success, leaving Bethesda with few points of comparison for the development of the genre over the last decade. Aside fromObsidian’sThe Outer Worlds, which despite its original setting did not add many features to Bethesda’s standard RPG formula, Bethesda’s last real point of comparison forThe Elder Scrolls 6areFallout 4andSkyrimitself.
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Outside Influences On The Elder Scrolls 6
Skyrimwas so influential on the western RPGs of the last decade, however, that replicating its formula without making significant changes will makeThe Elder Scrolls 6feel instantly dated. Living up toSkyrim’s legacyis one of Bethesda’s biggest challenges, even with its non-Elder Scrollsreleases. The studio will likely be carefully considering what madeSkyrimsuccessful, and some of the features introduced in other games andSkyrimmods that could bolster the base game ofThe Elder Scrolls 6.
If the introduction of survival mechanics intoThe Elder Scrolls 6’s base game is true, it’s likely that one of Bethesda’s biggest influences will be its own game’s modding communities. Survival mods likeSkyrim’s Frostfallwere huge successes, adding to the base game without undermining the player’s immersion in the world like some ofSkyrim’s sillier mods. While fans have the opportunity to voice their opinions about the next game’s direction online, it seems likely that sinceSkyrim’s release one of the most important deciders of futureElder Scrollsfeatures will have been mod downloads.
One of Bethesda fans' other best chances to influence the development ofThe Elder Scrolls 6likely lies in the reception ofStarfield. Although some fans were disappointed to learn that Bethesda’s next RPG would be anXbox exclusive,Starfieldcould be good news forThe Elder Scrollsfans. As a new IP Bethesda may be more likely to try out experimental new features inStarfieldthan it would be inThe Elder Scrolls 6. The features which are well-received - and those which are not - will almost certainly have a big influence on the development ofThe Elder Scrolls 6, especially with several years predicted betweenStarfield’s 2022 release date and the nextElder Scrolls, rumored to be set for release around 2026.
Bethesda is likely keeping a keen eye on the reception of certainElder Scrollsrumors, as well as contributing to them. Back at Brighton Digital 2020, for example,Todd Howardraised the possibility thatThe Elder Scrolls 6would make greater use of procedural generation to create a larger in-game world with significantly larger cities than previous expansions.
While little has been confirmed aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6, Todd Howard recently confirmed that the game is still “in the design phase,” likely indicating that it’s still very early in its development process. TheBethesda modding communityand the reception of other first-person RPGs fromThe Outer Worlds 2andAvowedto Bethesda’s ownStarfieldcan still have a huge influence on the next game, but only whileThe Elder Scrolls 6is still early enough in its development for major decisions to be made about its direction. It’s will likely be some time beforeThe Elder Scrolls 6releases, but fans of the franchise need to verify their voices are heard before the window passes.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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