Unveiling the Mind-Blowing Skyrim Milestone Expected to Surpass Expectations Ahead of Elder Scrolls 6 Release

Bethesda, the development studio behind popular Western RPGs, is both loved and hated in equal measure. They burst onto the scene with The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind in 2002, establishing themselves as a prominent RPG developer with subsequent releases like Oblivion and Fallout 3. Their success continued with Skyrim, solidifying their position in the industry.

However, since Skyrim's release in 2011, Bethesda has faced challenges. Fallout 4 didn't generate the same level of excitement upon its release, and the launch of Fallout 76 was a disaster, forcing Bethesda to work hard to repair their reputation. As part of this damage control, they announced The Elder Scrolls 6 in 2018, but there's been no sign of the game yet. According to recent statements from Xbox, it's possible that Skyrim will achieve another significant milestone before The Elder Scrolls 6 is even released.

Skyrim Could Hit its 20th Anniversary Before The Elder Scrolls 6 Releases

Following the aftermath of Fallout 76's devastating impact, The Elder Scrolls 6 made its now-infamous debut at E3 2018. The announcement trailer showcased a 30-second clip of a camera soaring over a CGI landscape, accompanied by the iconic Elder Scrolls theme, aiming to invoke a nostalgic feeling and overshadow Bethesda's recent setbacks. Though it initially succeeded, many fans now view The Elder Scrolls 6's announcement trailer with bitterness, considering it a mere publicity stunt for a game that is still not actively being developed.

For the past seven years, since at least 2016, Bethesda has been diligently working on its next major RPG, Starfield. Similar to their previous ambitious projects, it is likely that Starfield has been the primary focus of the majority of the studio's workforce, even now, just a few months away from release. Consequently, even if The Elder Scrolls 6 were currently in active development, it would probably involve only a small fraction of Bethesda's team and explain why there have been no updates on the game in over five years.

Bethesda has been consistently reporting that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still several years away, and Xbox head Phil Spencer's recent interview appears to confirm this. During an FTC hearing, Spencer was uncertain about whether the game would be exclusive to Xbox, stating that it is too far in the future to determine which generation of consoles it would be on. According to transcripts, Spencer even mentioned that The Elder Scrolls 6 would not be released for "five-plus years." If this statement holds true, the game may not hit stores until 2028 at the earliest. This would mean a decade after the initial announcement trailer and 17 years after Skyrim's release. In the best-case scenario, it could take even longer, with potential delays pushing the release date further. This could result in a release as late as 2031, coinciding with Skyrim's 20th anniversary. While speculation, it wouldn't be entirely surprising and would certainly be a remarkable statistic if it came to fruition.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.