It’s been quite a while already since the last installment in “The Elder Scrolls” – at least for gamers, those few years seemed like an eternity. There has been pretty much no news about the game on the official front, although there are always plenty of rumors and speculation going around for those who’re into that sort of thing. In fact, the only official word we’ve received on the game so far is the confirmation that it’s definitely not going to come out within the next few years.
This was revealed by Pete Hines himself in a response to a fan’s tweet, so the information is as good as it gets. Of course, some fans still refused to believe that this is the truth, claiming that it’s just a ruse to prepare them for a major surprise once the game is announced. Given the current state of affairs at Bethesda however, the likelihood of that is extremely slim.
The studio is quite preoccupied with their work on “Fallout 4” still, even though the game has already been out for over half a year. There is still a lot of potential in that title and Bethesda seem determined to realize it to its full extent, so we’ll probably keep seeing updates on that front for quite a while. Plus, there are talks of even more major pieces of DLC coming up, so if that’s true, Bethesda’s developers already have their plate full at the moment.
And while delays and prolonged development cycles are nothing new under the sun for Bethesda’s fans, it’s not clear how long most of them are willing to wait for “The Elder Scrolls 6”. The fantasy RPG genre has been a bit dormant lately, so there’s no major competition on the horizon for the game, but that could easily change over the next few years. Currently, the trend revolves around near-future settings and sci-fi, with Blizzard’s “Overwatch” spearheading that. But a year or two from now, things could change, and that could make the market very unfavorable for Bethesda.
On the other hand, the studio is well aware of the current hype around the game, and this could be seen as a valid reason for them to postpone its release/announcement as much as possible until they have a properly polished product in their hands. They only get one release, and if they don’t get it right, this could be a disaster for the entire franchise.
A franchise which is still one of their largest intellectual properties, so that would be a huge blow to the success of Bethesda. Because of this, even if they do have something on the table for “The Elder Scrolls 6”, we expect that they will keep quiet about this until the very last moment. When the announcement comes, it will be for a game that’s already been in development for a relatively long period of time, a game that will be a nearly risk-free release for the company.
Until then, fans will have to wait and engage in online discussions about the future of the franchise if they want to have any impact on it. It’s very likely that Bethesda are keeping a close eye on those discussions right now, as players always have some creative ideas to share which even the studio might not have thought of. Their closeness to the community is actually one of their strongest points in the eyes of many.