Everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6, from Xbox exclusivity, game engine, and more

    

There's one thing we know for sure: Elder Scrolls 6 is happening. Aside from that, news is sparse, although with a recent bombshell announcement that Microsoft has bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion, it could mean that whenever we finally get Elder Scrolls 6 it could be an Xbox Series X and PC exclusive. Bad news for PS5 adventurers. 

And considering Phil Spencer has basically said outright that Elder Scrolls 6 will be a Microsoft exclusive, it's safe to assume that may be the case. As GamesRadar recently reported, Spencer spoke to Kotaku about the likelihood that the sequel to Skyrim may not be sold on PlayStation consoles. Scroll below for more details on that bombshell...

We also reported that back in May Bethesda stated that Elder Scrolls 6 is still "years" away and the company won't reveal any news regarding the game until "years from now." Considering the COVID-19 pandemic causing game delays across the board, and the developer's current work on the upcoming space RPG Starfield, a long wait until Elder Scrolls 6 isn't shocking, although it is a bit of a bummer. Game director Todd Howard has previously stated that Elder Scrolls 6 won't come until after Bethesda releases Starfield - if that's any unit of measurement.

The Elder Scrolls 6 teaser trailer dropped at E3 2018 - and since then it's been quieter than a Skyrim cave.

Elder Scrolls 6 is looking like an Xbox Series X exclusive, and it'll definitely be on Game Pass

Recent news from a Kotaku interview we reported on with Phil Spencer suggests Microsoft may indeed have Elder Scrolls 6 exclusivity. Spencer confirms that the easiest way to recoup the $7.5 billion investment Microsoft made when acquiring ZeniMax Media would be to not sell Elder Scrolls 6 on PS5.

Spencer points out that the intention is not to "take away games from another player base like that" but that, with xCloud, PC, and Xbox Game Pass, he doesn't have to "ship those games on any other platform other than the platforms that we support in order to kind of make the deal work for us. Whatever that means." 

As far as other games like a new Fallout title or the elusive Starfield go, that's currently unclear. As we previously reported, Microsoft didn't just buy Elder Scrolls 6, it bought ZeniMax Media, which is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. That company owns Bethesda Game Works (Skyrim, Starfield), and both id Software (Doom) and Arkane Studios (Dishonored). 

Microsoft confirmed the games from Bethesda's entire catalogue will become a part of Xbox Game Pass, which means members won't even need to purchase upcoming games like Elder Scrolls 6.

"Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of games," Phil Spencer wrote in the announcement. 

Even if Elder Scrolls 6 is not a PC and Xbox Series X exclusive, the fact that it will likely be on Xbox Game Pass is a game-changer, as PS5 owners will have to buy the game at full price.

Bethesda is overhauling its engine for Elder Scrolls 6

Months ago our very own Leon Hurley suggested that Elder Scrolls 6 might be using the same engine as Skryim "in name" but that it had a "new renderer, new lighting, new landscape system, new animation system, and photogrammetry. And that's only what Bethesda has talked about publicly."

Now we know that the Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 engine has gotten a complete overhaul. As we recently reported, Todd Howard spoke about the effect of partnering up with Xbox, saying "it's led to our larges engine overhaul since Oblivion, with all new technologies powering our first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, as well as The Elder Scrolls 6."

 

Elder Scrolls 6 release is years away

I'm just warning you: you're going to need to be patient. Like, very patient. As mentioned earlier, Bethesda has tempered expectations by announcing that Elder Scrolls 6 is "years away."

Speaking to IGN, Howard said that repeatedly switching between Elder Scrolls and Fallout was exhausting for the developers at Bethesda Game studios, saying that "we had done so many things, we were going Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Fallout... You have this Starfield game in your head, you sort of say, well, when? It can be never, you could say never. But look, we're creatives, and it's like we have to make this game, and this is the time. So Elder Scrolls 6 is going to have to wait a little bit. And plus, again, Elder Scrolls Online is doing so well, it's so vibrant, that this is the time, both for us creatively and our audience".  We're not fans of dev burnout here at GamesRadar+, so if we gotta wait, we can wait.

Elder Scrolls 6

As mentioned above, newly discovered vacancies posted on Bethesda's website has us thinking the developer is wrapping up work on Starfield. Spotted by a Reddit user, the company is hiring programmers who can push "the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and consoles" and help with "implementation of new gameplay features: player and characters' behaviors, combat and powers mechanics, user interface, etc". 

Plus, Bethesda Game Studios is looking for a Video Editor to create trailers for games, which definitely sounds like Starfield is ready to move into the marketing campaign aspect of its production...

Elder Scrolls 6 trailer is all we've got, for now

All we've got to go on is this 36-second trailer Bethesda that debuted at E3 2018. It's exciting, it's got us ready for more, but we haven't got much else since then. Feed us, Bethesda, we're starving. Check out the trailer for Elder Scrolls 6 below, and know that we're all going hungry waiting for even a morsel of fresh news.

Elder Scrolls 6 news is sparse, but theories sure aren't

We've got a glimpse of a few new details about Elder Scrolls 6, straight from Todd Howard himself. During an interview with IGN Howard fleshed out a tiny bit on what fans can expect from the game, saying that "I think when they eventually see the game and what we have in mind, they'll understand the gap more in terms of technology and what we want it to do... The one thing [the gap between Skyrim and Elder Scrolls 6's release] does is people are still playing Skyrim, it's still one of the best-selling games. I know people joke about it online, but it's one of the best-selling games on Switch. Anything we put it out on, it becomes a hit game. And they love it, they still play it, it's almost infinitely playable, all of the mods and everything like that. And we're 8 years post-Skyrim. It lets us know going into Elder Scrolls 6 that this is a game we need to design for people to play for a decade at least, at least". 

So whatever Elder Scrolls 6 includes, gameplay-wise, it's going to be there for the long haul, just like Skyrim. There's likely going to be a bigger emphasis on replayability, which might mean that tiny choices at the beginning of the game end up massively changing big story beats. Judging from Howard's remark about the technology and "what [Bethesda] wants it to do", it sounds like the developers might be creating brand new gameplay mechanics to make Elder Scrolls 6 unlike anything we've seen before. 

On September 10 2018, Bethesda started the process to trademark the term 'Redfall', causing the internet to jump into a flurry of excitement about whether the enigmatic word could be the name of Elder Scrolls 6. Yeah, I was one of them. This is how Redfall could be related to Elder Scrolls 6: the good people of Reddit have theorised that it might be the name of a plague sweeping Tamriel, putting you slap-bang in the middle of it. 

It all boils down to - well, boils, actually, as they’re part of a disease that followers of Peryite (the Daedric Prince of pestilence, natural order, and tasks) have been infected with. In the quest The Only Cure, the blotchy red-skinned, poison-puking devotees of Peryite mention a plague that started in High Rock, leading some to wonder whether the ‘Red’ part of the trademark might be linked to the illness. The ‘-fall’ part of the term might be linked to it beginning in Daggerfall, one of High Rock’s kingdoms. It’s all a theory at this point - but one definitely worth entertaining for a while at least. 

Wherever Elder Scrolls 6 goes, it’s sure to be crammed full of quests and a whole new political climate - especially considering the consequences of Skyrim's civil war and its impact on the Empire will likely be far-reaching. 

Perhaps the side you chose in the civil war will even have an impact on the story. Think about it: a victory for the Stormcloaks would mean a weaker Empire, but the Stormcloak's racism towards elves (remember how the Dunmer are treated in Windhelm) would still be rife. Fighting for the Empire would further their suffocating bureaucracy and the lack of religious freedom - but let’s not forget that the Dark Brotherhood storyline had you assassinate the Emperor. What kind of state did that leave the Empire in? You’ll have to wait to find out...