The Elder Scrolls 6 Gets Encouraging Update from Todd Howard

Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard has revealed that the “majority” of developers at the studio are now working on The Elder Scrolls 6. Although there is still more content to come for Starfield, most individuals at Bethesda have now moved on to Elder Scrolls 6, the long-anticipated sequel to 2011’s Skyrim.

Bethesda first announced The Elder Scrolls 6 in 2018 with an early reveal trailer that gave very little away. Historically, the studio has typically released games pretty quickly after their announcement, even shadow-dropping Oblivion Remastered last year. The Elder Scrolls 6 is an anomaly in this regard, and Howard has said on multiple occasions over the years that the decision to announce the sequel so early was an error. At this point, there has now been more time since the 2018 trailer than there was between Skyrim‘s release and the Elder Scrolls 6 announcement. Even back in 2018, Bethesda had kept fans waiting a considerable amount of time for news on the game, so it’s fair to say that they’ve been incredibly patient as that wait now extends beyond 14 years.

GamesRadar+ recently attended a roundtable interview with Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard, where he revealed that the developer is now fully focused on the next Elder Scrolls game. “The majority of this building is working on The Elder Scrolls 6,” Howard revealed. “It’s amazing for us to come back to it. I gotta be honest, right? Being in that world after not developing in Elder Scrolls – it’s so different than Starfield, so different from Fallout – it feels great for us.” Comments on The Elder Scrolls 6‘s development have been few and far between from Howard and Bethesda, but there have been more so in recent times than previous years, indicating that things are really starting to ramp up at the studio.

On the state of Bethesda’s franchises as a whole, Howard said, “We feel we’re in a really good place with these franchises. Obviously, we’re around Fallout stuff as well, and we feel good about that. The trick is still we have three big audiences, and in some ways, three big franchises – and in a lot of ways, the franchise is the studio. Skyrim is somewhat the sequel to Fallout 3. Fallout 4 is somewhat our follow-up to Skyrim.” Howard also spoke of “a lot of crossover” between the fanbases, which is why fans remain so engaged about the possibility of The Elder Scrolls 6, even so long after Skyrim‘s launch. “There’s definitely people who strongly, strongly prefer one over the other, which is totally understandable,” Howard claimed.

The majority of this building is working on The Elder Scrolls 6. It’s amazing for us to come back to it.

Although most at Bethesda are now working on The Elder Scrolls 6, there’s still plenty to come from its other franchises, too. Fallout 76 continues to receive regular updates amidst its ongoing popularity, while Starfield recently revealed its second expansion and free content to come.

Image via Bethesda

Although concrete news about The Elder Scrolls 6 has been difficult to come by, the rumor mill is always turning. Most of what fans think they know about the game comes from alleged leaks and rumors, especially with that 2018 trailer remaining the only official media released to date. Almost two years ago, one leak hinted at a potential Elder Scrolls 6 setting, but nothing has been officially confirmed at this point. After such a long wait, it’s only natural that rumors frequently pop up, and this is almost guaranteed to continue until the game is revealed in the future.