Skyrimwill be ten years old in November, and though it has maintained a strong community over the last decade, many fans are becoming increasingly concerned that the lack of news aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6.Ultimately, it’s clear this wait is far from over, though some have expressed worry that a recently revealed game may have extended that wait.
Earlier this month, Bethesda made an announcement that anIndiana Jonestitle in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games is in development. Fortunately, there are good reasons that gamers waiting forThe Elder Scrolls 6should not worry about the upcomingIndiana Jonesgame.
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Bethesda’s Current Projects
Bethesda Game Studios is currently working on two projects,StarfieldandThe Elder Scrolls 6.Starfieldis a new space-set RPG set for release some time in the next few years, withThe Elder Scrolls 6only due for release after that. That makes it likely that fans of the franchise still have several more years to wait for the nextElder Scrolls, though considering the recent buggyrelease ofCyberpunk 2077, another hugely anticipated open-world RPG, many fans may be more willing to wait than before.
While Bethesda Game Studios is working on those two projects, it’s Bethesda Softworks which will be involved in theIndiana Jonesproject, the publisher ofThe Elder Scrollsbut also other series likeArkane’sDishonored. The newIndiana Jonesgame will be developed by MachineGames, who have developed the newWolfensteingames for Bethesda Softworks since 2014’sThe New Order.
In theory, this means that the development of the new Indiana Jones game should not interrupt the development ofStarfieldorThe Elder Scrolls 6. However, there has been one point of concern for Bethesda fans – Todd Howard, Bethesda Game Studios’ director, will also be an executive producer on MachineGames’Indiana Jonestitle.Pete Hines, head of marketing at Bethesda Game Studios, addressed concerns in a tweet on the day theIndiana Jonesproject was announced:
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The Release of The Elder Scrolls 6
While the news about MachineGames’Indiana Jonesmay not affect the development ofThe Elder Scrolls 6, many Bethesda fans are becoming increasingly impatient for news about the next title in the series.The Elder Scrolls 6was announced back in 2018, but since then so few details about the games’ setting or premise have been released that many have since speculated that the announcement was made to divert attention from any potentialcriticism ofFallout 76, which was announced at the same event and which Todd Howard himself recently claimed “let a lot of people down.”
Bethesda has kept details aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6under wraps. Some fans have speculated that the setting could be Hammerfell, High Rock, or thelost continent of Yokuda. While some images are rumored to have leaked fromStarfield, however, very little solid information aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6has been uncovered.
There may be benefits to waiting forThe Elder Scrolls 6, however. AtBrighton Digital 2020, Howard explained that bothStarfieldandTES6would make extensive use of procedural generation to create huge in-game worlds, and potentially bigger towns and cities that previous Bethesda RPGs. The development ofStarfieldgives Bethesda Game Studios an opportunity to experiment with open worlds on a truly next-generation scale beforeThe Elder Scrolls 6, which could help the next title in the long-running fantasy franchise live up to its hugely successful predecessor.
The long wait may also come back to bite Bethesda, however, with games likeObsidian’sAvowedtaking aim at the open gap in the first-person fantasy RPG market. At the very least, the news about a newIndiana Jonesgame should be great news for Indie fans, while having a minimal effect on the development of the nextElder Scrolls.
MachineGames’Indiana Jonesgame is in development.
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