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

The Elder Scrolls VI director Todd Howard has confirmed that those within Bethesda Game Studios are already planning to support the upcoming RPG with new content for years after its launch. Although Bethesda only releases new open-world RPGs every so often, those games are often played en masse by millions for multiple years afterward. This has most recently been seen with Fallout 4, which received a major revival in the early months of 2024. Now, when it comes to The Elder Scrolls VI, Howard says that those within Bethesda are trying to see how the game can continue to foster an active player base for many years. 

In a new interview with MrMattyPlays, Howard said that a long-term approach is being taken with The Elder Scrolls VI as its development continues within Bethesda Game Studios. Howard didn’t say much of what this ongoing support for the game might look like, but he did say that the team at Bethesda looks to past releases to see how fans engage with them years later. As a result, this seems to be influencing more than just additional content and DLC that could release after the base game. 

“One hundred percent. […] We know people are going to play it for a long time,” Howard said of the next Elder Scrolls title. “A game like that is not just what it means for content, it goes further than that in the type of game. What it means for your character, what it means for other things to say, ‘Hey, can this be something that you come back to?’ We see that with Skyrim and what people do in the game today. Even though it’s popular, what are people doing when they come back to the game after putting it down for a few years?” 

For now, next to nothing remains known about The Elder Scrolls VI outside of the simple fact that it’s in production. The game’s initial reveal took place over six years ago at E3 2018, which means the project has been a long time coming. Luckily, The Elder Scrolls VI is now the main focus of Bethesda Game Studios as the developer continues to also juggle ongoing support for Starfield and Fallout 76.