‘The Elder Scrolls 6’ team address ten year wait for ‘Skyrim’ sequel

The team behind The Elder Scrolls 6 have shared an update on the long-awaited sequel, and it’s not good news.

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The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced back in 2018 and “early development” for the follow-up to Skyrim began in 2021. Last month, Bethesda boss Todd Howard confirmed the game was still a “long way off” with one leaker saying the studio were looking at a 2028 launch window.

In a new update, Howard told GameInformer that The Elder Scrolls 6 was “progressing really well.”

“It’s a process,” he continued. “We all wish it went a little bit faster – or a lot faster – but it’s a process that we want to get right.”

Studio director Angela Browder explained that fans keep reminding Bethesda about the long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 but according to studio design director Emil Pagliarulo, the team aren’t feeling the pressure.  “It’s funny, because the time pressure that players put on us, we don’t put on ourselves. And I know that can be frustrating for players who are dying to play a game [but] they take not just a long time to make, but a long time to spit and polish and iron out the bugs.” 

“And so, what do fans really want,” he continued. “Do they want a game that comes out before it should and doesn’t meet their expectations? Or do they want the turkey that is in the oven for long enough to be delicious when it finally comes out of the oven, you know? That’s what I think people are going to want. So, we’re going to take our time and as long as it needs to be to be great.”

Earlier this year, Bethesda gave fans the chance to be immortalised in the new game as an NPC. Howard also revealed The Elder Scrolls 6 could be the last game he makes. “If I do the math, I’m not getting any younger. “I want [development] to be faster, but speed isn’t the goal.”

He also teased the project could be surprise-released, after the successful shadow drop of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in April.

In other news, the creators of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have been criticised for using AI during game development.