During a hearing where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is discussing Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Phil Spencer, the chief of Microsoft’s Gaming division, provided an update on the highly anticipated game, The Elder Scrolls VI. According to Spencer, the fantasy RPG is still “five-plus years away” from release.
Spencer’s statement came in response to questioning by an FTC lawyer regarding the game’s potential platforms and release timeframe. He acknowledged that Bethesda, the publisher behind The Elder Scrolls VI, has been unclear about the platforms it will launch on given the game’s distant release date. As the game is still in early development, Spencer mentioned the challenge of predicting the future landscape of gaming platforms.
Spencer also highlighted that the same team working on The Elder Scrolls VI is currently focused on completing another highly anticipated title, Starfield, which is set to be released in September of this year. With Starfield being the immediate priority, it suggests that The Elder Scrolls VI is still several years away from completion.
“We’re talking about a game that’s five-plus years away”
Head of Xbox claims the next Elder Scrolls game is a long way off pic.twitter.com/wElXEuya8q
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 23, 2023
The revelation of The Elder Scrolls VI’s extended timeline shouldn’t come as a surprise to those following Bethesda’s updates on the game. In 2020, Pete Hines, Bethesda’s senior vice president of marketing and communications, mentioned that substantial information about the game would not be available for a few more years. Hines emphasized that managing expectations and providing details prematurely would be a disservice to fans.
Based on Phil Spencer’s recent comments, it is possible that The Elder Scrolls VI may skip the current generation of consoles entirely. Additionally, Todd Howard, the creative director at Bethesda Game Studios, hinted that The Elder Scrolls VI might be the last game of his career, further emphasizing the long-term nature of the project.
As fans eagerly anticipate the next installment in the beloved Elder Scrolls series, it is clear that patience will be required. The development team is focused on delivering Starfield first, and only after its completion will they shift their full attention to The Elder Scrolls VI.
