'The Elder Scrolls 6': Everything We Know So Far

Despite what a recently analyst had to say, realistically we've still got a few more years to go [...]

By Liana 'LiLi' Ruppert

Despite what a recently analyst had to say, realistically we've still got a few more years to go before we finally get our hands on The Elder Scrolls 6. Though Bethesda was very clear that the early reveal was simply to show that single-player games are still a focus, that doesn't mean we're totally in the dark about what's next in Tamriel. For those as excited as we are, here's what we know so far about the future RPG.

First question: Where is The Elder Scrolls 6 in terms of developmental progress? Well, we know it's going to be coming afte Starfield, Bethesda's new IP, which means the primary focus is on that universe versus Tamriel.

"A couple of years ago I talked to Todd [Howard] about clarifying with everybody that TES6 was not going to be our next game, and we had two other big games that we wanted to do first. So we had already put that out there several years ago, but we were very vague on what those other two titles were," Said VP of Marketing Pete Hines in a recent interview with FZ.se.

"So it was just in conversations with him [and] folks on my team to say, look, why don't we consider putting out a little bit more of a roadmap for the studio that explains to folks, 'Here's what we're doing—yes, we're making this game called Starfield and here's what it is, and yes, we're going to make Elder Scrolls 6, but we have these other two games to develop and make first.' It's just so that folks have a better sense of where we are and where we're headed."

Back in 2016, Howard said they were definitively not working on the 6th entry into this franchise, a comment that was later clarified by Pete Hines by saying "not yet." They then mentioned that they had two big releases to get out of the way before full focus could be on Tamriel's latest adventure, and now we know that one of them was Fallout 76. With that one out of the way, we're reiterating what we've already said that Starfield is where the main spotlight is at for now.

Another reason for making sure total focus was on each title is that the team wanted to stay true to the game, which means giving it what it needs to be the creative tale that fans want. "I think Todd and his team have earned the right, given the quality of this stuff, to be able to say, 'We know everybody really wants [TES6], but we as creative people want to be able to do stuff that we're really passionate about,'" Hines explained to our sister site GameSpot last year. "They wanted to be able to self-determine things they worked on next, whether it was existing stuff or whether it was new IP."

Second question: Where does The Elder Scrolls 6 Take Place, Geographically?

Bethesda's own Todd Howard sat down with Eurogamer to talk about the "years away" entry of The Elder Scrolls VI and though he's keeping specifics hush hush, he did open up a little bit. And we do mean a "little" bit.

When asked about where exactly in Tamriel the new game would be set, he said "I obviously would say yes [you can guess the location], but you can't – it's intentional. You can rule some things out. And you can rule some things in." Sounds like somebody that doesn't actually have a plan, right? Fair, but incorrect, "The first thing we do is the world so we've known for a while where it's set."

The biggest theory going on now about where this game will be set is High Rock, just by going off the small teaser we had with the announcement video. Morrowind had a lot of undiscovered areas to the north - also filled with a rocky terrain - which would make sense for a focus as well. Pair that with how much success the Morrowind expansion had in The Elder Scrolls Online, it would make sense then that this area be a key focal point in the next game.

We're going to just roll on past the Black Marsh - let's be real, it's not happening unless the teaser trailer was total bullshit.

GamesRadar editor Leon Hurley also weighed in on the Yokuda possibility with evidence that's a bit hard to ignore:

Final Question: Will The Elder Scrolls 6 Support Mods?

Yes. Though not explicitly stated, modding is an intricate part of Bethesda's platform - so much so that they've legally helped fan-driven mod projects that completely overhauled their games. When I interviewed the dev team back in August during a Fallout 76 private screening, I asked about the importance of modding and whether or not it will be coming to the online game and the team said yes - eventually - but added that they are dedicated to continuing to grow with that creative platform. With a statement like that, we can't imagine that they'd pass up the opportunity with a franchise that has inspired some of the greatest mod projects to date.

Though we don't have a release date yet, we do know that this will be a single-player experience and one that the team at Bethesda is taking special care with to make sure it's done right!

Are you excited? Sound off in the comment section below! I have tons of theories about what's next, most that I have no real proof on - just hunches - so if you're interested in those, feel free to hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy! I'm a huge lover of the entire series - yes, including the online game - and am stupidly obssessed with all of the lore that goes with it.

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