The Elder Scrolls 6 Rumor Reveals Return of Controversial Fallout 4 Feature

A new rumor about The Elder Scrolls 6 has surfaced online, revealing a variety of details about the upcoming RPG, including word that it will have a major upgrade from Starfield. Starfield, for those out of the loop, is the latest release from Bethesda Game Studios, a team that gained an international recognition with releases in The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. Its next game, the first since Starfield, is set to be The Elder Scrolls 6.

Despite being announced all the way back in 2018, we have no details on The Elder Scrolls 6. However, the game entered full development last year, so this could change as early as next year. Before this can happen though, a new rumor has surfaced allegedly spilling the beans for Bethesda Game Studios.

Some broader details the rumor claims is that Inon Zur has been tapped for the game’s soundtrack. Notably, Zur was not the composer of Skyrim, but has an extensive and impressive resume, which also features Bethesda games such as Starfield, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.

RELATED: The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Being Developed With Long-Term Support in Mind

The rumor also mentions the game’s codename is “Highfell” and that it will be exclusive to PC and Xbox consoles when it releases, however, the plan is to bring it to PlayStation consoles “a few years” after the initial release. And it sounds like this release may be far away, because the game is described as still being in pre-alpha, however there is apparently a “strong crunch culture” that could speed development up.

The rumor also mentions the Creation Engine has been overhauled for the game, though the same thing was said of Starfield and the improvements, while noticeable, didn’t quite live up to the hype. What Bethesda Game Studios is specifically aiming to improve from Starfield though is the frequent and lengthy loading times. This was a big complaint about Starfield, so it would be a well-received upgrade in The Elder Scrolls 6.

Of course, what can help reduce load times is minimizing density. To this end, there are supposedly 12-13 cities planned for the game, but they are mostly the size of cities like Solitude and Whiterun in Skyrim. One of the perks of keeping cities smaller though will be no loading screens to enter.

Speaking of cities, the Fallout 4 settlements system — which proved quite contentious back in 2015 — is supposedly going to be implemented in The Elder Scrolls 6, which will allow players to run their own settlement as a Lord.

All of this will supposedly be happening across the first ever two province map. What these provinces are, the rumor doesn’t say, but Hammerfell is hinted at as one of them. And this would line up with what is said to be a major focus on seafaring and pirate gameplay, complete with a ship builder and procedurally generated islands to give off the impression of a varied and vast landscape. Those who played Starfield will know this sounds familiar, and unfortunately in the space RPG Bethesda did not quite pull this off.

This is where the rumor dries up. As for the source of the rumor, it is an anonymous 4chan user so be sure to take it with a major grain of salt. So far, it has not drawn any comment from Bethesda Game Studios, but if it does, we will be sure to update the story accordingly.