The long-dreaded Xbox layoffs have officially begun, and The Elder Scrolls is among the impacted franchises. A massive number of Zenimax Online staff formerly working on The Elder Scrolls Online have been let go, forcing the remaining team to adjust its ambitious roadmap. Now, those Bethesda staff who remain to work on The Elder Scrolls 6 say that the layoffs will almost certainly affect the next main series game, too.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to IGN, Bethesda Game Studios staff fear that the layoffs will “have a substantial and cascading effect on Bethesda’s development of The Elder Scrolls 6.” More than 50 employees have been cut from the Bethesda Game Studios team, including several key members of the team working on The Elder Scrolls 6. This means the game’s release date, which was previously rumored to already be 2-3 years away, could get pushed even further down the line.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Suffers from Staffing Cuts & Low Morale, Likely Shifting Release to 2030 Or Beyond
Earlier this week, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier suggested that The Elder Scrolls 6 was still 2-3 years away, at least. This intel came during a live Q&A session that took place not long after the Xbox layoffs began, meaning it was likely based on where the project was at before Bethesda lost several core team members. Given how long fans have been waiting for the next Elder Scrolls game already, a 2028-2029 release window was tough enough. But from the sounds of it, Xbox’s layoffs could push this long-awaited game even further down the road.
Morale at Bethesda Game Studios has taken a big hit in the wake of layoffs. This, along with a smaller number of developers left to work on the project, could mean we’ll be waiting even longer to play The Elder Scrolls 6. The staff impacted by the layoffs included people across a variety of roles, including programmers, artists, and designers. This includes people who’ve been on the team since Morrowind, which came out in 2002.
Remaining staff are understandably devastated to see so many of their longtime colleagues let go. In addition to the hit to morale, it also means everyone left will have to pick up extra work to keep game development going with fewer hands on the project. Odds are, that rumored 2028-2029 release date is going to get shifted even further down the road to 2030 or beyond.
Then again, maybe not. The team at Bethesda is no doubt facing additional pressure from higher-ups at Xbox. CEO Asha Sharma recently cited Elder Scrolls and Fallout as essential franchises that need to get their next games out sooner. That push to get ES6 across the finish line feels at odds with cutting people from that very same team. But it doesn’t mean the pressure won’t still be on, which could further harm morale at Bethesda Game Studios.
Along with a potential delay, this combination of pressure from Xbox and recent layoffs could impact the quality of the Elder Scrolls 6 we eventually receive. If the devs are working understaffed under serious pressure to deliver on an accelerated timeline, that might mean scaling back content to get the game out sooner. It could also result in more bugs, something Bethesda is already infamous for in their games. I don’t know about you, but as much as I want to play The Elder Scrolls 6, I want to see it arrive when it’s ready. Even if that now means its even further away.
What do you think about Xbox’s decision to cut staff from one of its biggest upcoming games? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
