Summary
- The only reason why The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced early was due to constant fan demand for a sequel to the immensely popular Skyrim.
- Bruce Nesmith, former Lead Designer for Skyrim, agrees that announcing TES 6 so early was a mistake and believes that game information should be revealed around six months before release.
Former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith has recently revealed that the only reason why The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced so early was due to fans constantly demanding it. Its predecessor Skyrim was a huge hit, selling over 60 million units over 12 years, so it’s understandable that fans were eager to learn more about a sequel.
The Elder Scrolls 6 was originally announced back in 2018 at E3. Considering that TES 6 has just recently entered the early stages of development, some fans have said that Bethesda jumped the gun on this announcement, and Nesmith seems to agree with that.
In an interview with MinnMax, Bruce Nesmith, who worked as the Lead Designer for Skyrim, confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 was only unveiled because "the pitches and torches were out," and fans constantly asking about the sequel. Nesmith agrees that the announcement was a bad decision, as both he and Todd Howard believe that the gaming industry has short memories, and the ideal point to start unveiling information about a new title is around six months before the release, which was what the team did with Fallout 4. Nesmith also said that there’s a great possibility that fans won’t be hearing much about TES 6 in the near future, too, as it’s likely that Bethesda will keep most of the details a secret until soon before the release.
Nesmith also talked about how TES 6 could carry over some features from Skyrim during the interview. While he no longer works at Bethesda, he believes that The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely to have a similar leveling system to Skyrim. Nesmith also hinted that the magic system that will be present in the game will have his “fingerprints,” as the team is likely to continue to iterate on the work he did in Skyrim. In any case, TES 6 is still years away, so it’s difficult to know for sure how the game will work until the official reveal happens.
Fallout 5 has been announced as Bethesda's next game after Elder Scrolls 6. Fallout 5 could be released in the 2030s if its development cycle is as long as Starfield or The Elder Scrolls 6, so it's possible that having announced it so far in advance could be frustrating for fans.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.