The Elder Scrolls 6’s release date is still some time away at this point, Bethesda has previously confirmed, and the company is not really saying much about the game overall. We don’t even know exactly what platforms it’s in development for other than PC. It seems safe to assume the game is coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, what with Xbox buying Bethesda, but PS5, PS4, and Xbox One releases are all a big question at this point. That said, while Bethesda is withholding salient details, it did recently take an opportunity to talk about the game, and in the process, revealed some interesting details about the next-gen title — including some talk about procedural generation.
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While speaking about the massive overhaul that’s been made to the game’s engine, Bethesda’s Todd Howard made a note about procedural generation, or more specifically how these engine changes will facilitate procedural generation. Howard didn’t go into detail about how procedural generation will be utilized and implemented, but it’s two words that caught the attention of many fans.
In the industry, procedural generation has a bit of a divisive reputation. While it’s become an essential bit of technology for certain genres, it’s often criticized by those who prefer a more custom, hand-made experience. Of course, the fear with procedural generation when it comes to The Elder Scrolls VI is that it will encroach on the design of the open-world and missions. A part of what defines The Elder Scrolls is its meticulously crafted and realized open-world and its missions designed from scratch.
Now, just because there will be some type of procedural generation doesn’t mean any of this will go away, but because Bethesda didn’t clarify how this technology will be used, some players are a bit worried.
At the moment of publishing, neither Todd Howard nor Bethesda have clarified how The Elder Scrolls VI will make use of procedural generation or what it means for the final product. If this changes, we will be sure to update the story with whatever is provided.
In the meantime, for more coverage on The Elder Scrolls VI and all things gaming — including all of the latest news, rumors, and leaks — click here. Meanwhile, as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there.
[H/T Games Industry]
