'The Elder Scrolls 6' Is Still In Pre-Production, So Strap In For A Wait

Rewind your mind to E3 2018, and the pre-Microsoft-takeover Bethesda’s reveal of The Elder Scrolls VI. Thirty-six seconds of a rugged landscape accompanied by music that swelled to a subtle peak of audience-buzzing expectation. It’d been seven years since the fifth mainline Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim. We were ready. And then: nothing.

And still: nothing. What’s more, it sounds like that nothing is going to last a while longer, as social posts indicate that the sixth Elder Scrolls game proper remains in a pre-production stage, suggesting its release date is likely a good three years away.

Watch the E3 2018 reveal of The Elder Scrolls VI below…

Reddit user thevideogaymer posted that a Bethesda Games Studios employee profile revealed that the game was in its “pre-development” stage - which is to say, nothing substantial has yet been built outside of - at a guess, as every game is different - a lot of concept material, quest planning and character and environment design, that sort of thing. There’s nothing to play yet. 

This information is credited to the Twitter user @bogorad222, who posted a LinkedIn profile for an employee by the name of Fanny Manset, who works in talent acquisition at Bethesda, which states: “Bethesda Games Studios sets the benchmark for open-world gaming and is currently in full production on Starfield, its first new universe in 25 years, and pre-production on the highly anticipated The Elder Scrolls VI.”

Bethesda Softworks

The employee started in their current role in January 2022, which suggests the text on their LinkedIn profile is relatively up to date - so this ‘pre-production’ status isn’t older information simply left unaltered. 

We know that Bethesda has previously said that full production on The Elder Scrolls VI would only commence after the studio’s next massive title, Starfield, was released - it’s out on 11 November 2022 - so this news shouldn’t be a surprise. We have also heard that Xbox’s own Fable, in production at Playground Games, will come out before The Elder Scrolls VI, so maybe look to that game’s progress as a marker for when to expect the sixth TES title.

Despite these previous announcements regarding the game’s development, though, we’re approaching four full years since the reveal of The Elder Scrolls VI - so is it asking too much to get some sort of an update from Bethesda and Microsoft (since this game will be exclusive to Xbox and PC) during this summer’s E3 events? Probably, yes. Good thing none of us are bored of Skyrim yet, right?