The Elder Scrolls VI Is Bethesda’s Primary Priority at the Moment, Confirmed In the Studio’s Statement

Announced at E3 2018, The Elder Scrolls VI has had only that debut teaser to show for itself over eight years, and the developers haven’t shared any of its official details. It still remains unclear why development has been so long and seemingly having difficulties. Following Microsoft's restructuring at Xbox, things could get even worse, as Bethesda reportedly lost key staff who'd been working on the game. Still, a recent statement from the studio offers some hope.

Bethesda released a new statement about its upcoming games following Microsoft's restructuring in early July. It touches on The Elder Scrolls VI, with the studio confirming the game remains its top priority and that work is still ongoing. You can check out Bethesda's full statement below:

“The Elder Scrolls VI is our primary development focus today, with the majority of our team currently working on the next chapter of the franchise. With over 65 million copies sold, players are still exploring Skyrim 15 years later, but we know it’s been a very long wait for the sequel.”

Bethesda also shared new details on the Fallout franchise. Fallout 5 is currently in pre-production at Bethesda Game Studios, and the company has officially confirmed Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remasters. Earlier this month, Obsidian Entertainment—the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas—was also confirmed to be developing a new game in the franchise; though it’s not a Fallout 5, it's an entirely separate project of their own. Bethesda's statement also confirmed both The Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5 will use Creation Engine 3, an upgraded version of the engine used in 2023’s Starfield.

The Elder Scrolls VI still doesn't have a release date, and not long ago, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier claimed the game is unlikely to launch in the next two years, and possibly longer. At the same time, Bethesda head Todd Howard has previously assured fans the team needs more time to get TES VI right. Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty, who recently visited Bethesda's offices, also revealed that the game looks amazing, and Bethesda will showcase it when the time is right.

Despite the lack of official news, rumors about The Elder Scrolls VI keep surfacing. It's been suggested the game will be set in Hammerfell and High Rock, with more than 10 major cities to explore and sea voyages—similar to the spaceship travel in Starfield—playing a key role in gameplay.

The Elder Scrolls VI is confirmed to release on PC and Xbox Series X/S. The official release date remains unknown.