The Elder Scrolls 6 may be my last game, says Todd Howard

Bethesda Games director Todd Howard says The Elder Scrolls VI could be the last title he’ll work on, due to long development times.

The next expansive Bethesda title, Starfield, is just months away from its launch on Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC, and promises to be the biggest game the studio has ever built. Not only will the game feature a vast open-world with over 1,000 planets, it’ll also feature sprawling wastelands, towering cities like New Atlantis, and NPCs that’ll call you by your actual name, including the annoying “Adoring Fan”, who’s somehow returned from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Take a look at Starfield in action below.

However, the game’s director, Todd Howard, is already looking ahead to The Elder Scrolls VI which is set to release sometime after Starfield. Howard discussed the sequel prior to last Sunday’s Starfield showcase, saying it might be the last sequel he works on, simply due to how long it takes Bethesda to craft its open-world adventures.

When discussing post-launch support options for Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, Todd Howard said: “Whereas maybe in the old days, you would put it out and then you'd go on to a sequel, now we can support that game for a much longer period of time, which is what our plan is. And then as we look to an Elder Scrolls 6, that is one where... I probably shouldn't say this. But if I do the math, I'm not getting any younger. How long do people play Elder Scrolls for? That may be the last one I do. I don't know.”

Granted, it has been a long time since The Elder Scrolls VI was officially announced back in 2018. Five years later, we still know very little about the game or how far into development it currently is, as well as only a slight indication of when it could be released. Howard also stated Fallout 5 would be the planned sequel after The Elder Scrolls VI, stating, “It will clearly be after Elder Scrolls 6 at some point… At some point in the future.”

If The Elder Scrolls VI is to be Todd Howard’s last Bethesda game, it’ll be quite the send-off, given how it’s only of the most highly-anticipated sequels in existence, especially after the critically-acclaimed Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which is still regularly played by fans today.

In other news, Bethesda recently announced Starfield will be locked at 30fps on Xbox Series X/S, which is a decision that hasn’t gone down well with a lot of fans.