Relatively little is definitively known about the upcoming The Elder Scrolls VI despite the initial announcement teaser having been released years ago at this point. Ever since Microsoft acquired Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media last year, the future of the developer’s big franchises and whether they will appear on, for example, PlayStation consoles has been in question. And a new interview with Xbox boss Phil Spencer seems to indicate that, as heavily rumored, The Elder Scrolls VI will also be an Xbox exclusive.
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“It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow,” Spencer told GQ in regards to the new Elder Scrolls title as part of a wide-ranging interview about Xbox. “But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls VI. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises.”
Now, that’s not Spender coming out and saying that The Elder Scrolls VI is exclusive to Xbox consoles, but it still very much does not sound like good news for PlayStation fans. Starfield, for example, is confirmed to be exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC, so there is certainly precedent, though Starfield is admittedly a new IP and not a long-running franchise.
There is also certainly precedent for first-party Xbox titles coming to other consoles, of course, especially if the developers were acquired after the fact. Minecraft hasn’t up and disappeared from PlayStation despite the acquisition of the developer years back. But it seems like maybe big-budget, AAA titles won’t have the same response from Xbox. Deathloop might have escaped the exclusivity requirement thanks to previously existing contractual obligations, but it sounds like the rest of the titles from Bethesda won’t get the same treatment.
As noted above, there’s basically no official information about The Elder Scrolls VI beyond the fact that it exists and the announcement trailer. Starfield, on the other hand, is set to release for the Xbox Series X|S and PC on November 11, 2022. You can check out all of our previous coverage of The Elder Scrolls VI right here.
What do you think about Spencer’s comments on The Elder Scrolls VI? Would you be bummed or excited to learn that the upcoming title is, officially, an Xbox exclusive? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!
