Elder Scrolls 6 gets first positive update in years amid Xbox reshuffle

Microsoft is involved in a massive company shake-up, which may have left some gamers concerned for the future of The Elder Scrolls VI, but fear not, because we’ve had a positive update, of sorts.

Following the Xbox Games Showcase during Summer Game Fest, Microsoft had a strong showing, revealing brand new games and giving us a fresh look at those we already knew were on the way. We got to see plenty of gameplay for Gears of War: E-Day, while the third entry in the Hellblade series, Senua, was announced.

However, following the Xbox Games Showcase, speculation began to circulate that Microsoft may be considering the sale or closure of some of its studios, which feature some big-name developers. Those names include Ninja Theory (Hellblade), Compulsion Games (South of Midnight), Undead Labs (State of Decay) and Double Fine Productions, to name a few.

Microsoft cuts major Xbox studios loose

Sadly, yesterday, that speculation was proven to be true after Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, revealed that a company restructuring will result in around 1,600 employees being laid off, with the potential of more throughout the year.

What’s more, it’s reported that all the studios mentioned above are looking to be sold by Microsoft. I suppose it’s much better than being closed down. It’s unclear at this time what Microsoft intends to do with the Dishonored team, Arkane Studios and Arkhane Lyon, but only time will tell.

Yet, some of Microsoft’s leading Xbox studios will be safe from the proverbial chopping block, such as The Coalition (Gears of War), Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) and the topic of today’s discussion, Bethesda Softworks.

READ MORE: Xbox game suddenly delisted forever without warning as downside of digital becomes clear

“Bethesda will be overhauled, as part of today's Xbox changes, to focus on key franchises going forward: Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake and Wolfenstein,” tweeted CharlieIntel via Bloomberg.

While it is always sad news to see so many talented studios face troubling times, this appears to be a tactic by Microsoft to trim the fat (so to speak), and zone in on its absolute most popular properties with the next-gen Xbox console on the horizon and leading that charge will be The Elder Scrolls VI.

As for when The Elder Scrolls VI will be released, that’s anyone’s guess at this point. It was revealed by Bethesda at E3 2018, years before Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, for $7.5 billion. Yet, since that time, we’ve not seen any gameplay, let alone learning of its release date.

Optimists will be hoping that The Elder Scrolls VI is released before the next-gen Xbox, which would be fantastic. However, with Microsoft no doubt looking to reclaim the console wars by making the popular fantasy RPG an Xbox console exclusive, it could throw a huge spanner in the works for Sony’s PlayStation 6. Not that Sony needs any help throwing spanners about, following its controversial announcement of going all digital by January 2028.

As always, we’ll keep you posted when we learn more about the future of Xbox and, of course, The Elder Scrolls VI.

READ MORE: Xbox copies PlayStation with all-digital future, but there’s one unique benefit in the works