The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel has finally been announced by Bethesda, the subtitle at least, but there’s still one major question surrounding the upcoming RPG: will it be exclusive to Xbox? The game was originally announced back in 2018, and fans have spent more than eight years waiting for another substantial update. Now, Bethesda has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel will take place in Hammerfell, home of the Redguards.
The question of The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel‘s exclusivity has been around ever since Microsoft acquired Bethesda. At the time, Xbox was heavily focused on exclusive games, but its strategy has changed considerably since then. Games like Forza Horizon and Halo have made their way to PlayStation, suggesting that even Microsoft’s biggest franchises aren’t necessarily staying exclusive. However, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has placed more emphasis on exclusivity (Gears of War: E-Day, for example), leaving some uncertainty about whether Sentinel will eventually come to PlayStation (or remain an Xbox console exclusive).
Bethesda head Todd Howard has addressed this exact question, although his answer doesn’t provide much clarity. Speaking with Windows Central, Howard was asked whether The Elder Scrolls 6 would be exclusive to Xbox. His response was simply “too early to comment,” leaving the possibility of a PlayStation release open. For now, Xbox and PlayStation players are left waiting for a more definitive answer.
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As for The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel itself, Bethesda revealed the game’s title and Hammerfell setting on November 3, finally offering something more substantial than its original teaser. However, the developer has made it clear that additional details are still some time away. Players know that it’s Bethesda’s primary development focus right now, with The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel being developed on Creation Engine 3, the next major version of the company’s game engine. There’s still plenty left to learn about its gameplay, story, and open world, as well as how it’s following the enormous success of Skyrim.
Meanwhile, Fallout 5 is another major Bethesda game facing questions about Xbox exclusivity. The next mainline Fallout game remains in pre-production, with Bethesda focusing its resources on The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel first. Howard also declined to confirm whether Fallout 5 would be exclusive, too, suggesting that platform decisions for both games remain unclear. Bethesda has several other Fallout projects in development, including remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, along with another project involving Obsidian Entertainment.
The uncertainty surrounding The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel is particularly interesting considering how successful Bethesda’s open-world RPGs have been across multiple platforms. Skyrim has sold more than 65 million copies, while Fallout 4 has surpassed 35 million. Of course, those numbers don’t guarantee that Microsoft will release TES6: Sentinel on PlayStation, especially as Xbox changes its exclusivity strategy. Bethesda’s statement also hasn’t ruled anything out either.
Source: Windows Central
- Developer(s)
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Bethesda Softworks
