The Elder Scrolls VI is one of the most eagerly anticipated video games of all time. It was announced way back in 2018, but much to the dismay of fans it still doesn’t have a release date…
And those looking forward to playing Bethesda’s role-playing game set in a fantasy world were worried that recent layoffs by Microsoft would lead to even more delays.
You see, Bethesda Game Studios and its parent company Zenimax are part of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming division, after they were acquired in a huge $7.5 billion US dollars deal back in 2021.
The recent layoffs at Xbox impacted Bethesda Game Studios, makers of The Elder Scrolls, too. The studio, which is working on The Elder Scrolls VI, may have lost up to 50 people. However, it recently told a popular YouTuber (MrMattyPlays) that “the roadmap [for TES6] is unaffected”, as was recently reported on Eurogamer.
Some may find this hard to believe taking into account that the layoffs removed some long-time veterans at the company. “One person who’s been at the company since Morrowind was cut”, a Bethesda source told gaming outlet IGN (via GameSpot). “It’s been a mix of … programmers, artists, and designers”, according to a different source, which could lead to delays and obviously have an impact on morale. And this only is Microsoft’s first round of layoffs, with a further 1,600 people slated to be fired in the coming year across its entire Xbox division…
There’s also the fact that Bethesda has other projects in the pipeline too. It recently revealed its roadmap for the future in an X post, in which it announced it was working on remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, as well as a new Fallout game. The remasters will likely arrive next year and keep quite a few people busy at the company.
The company also announced it would keep supporting Starfield with new content in the future, something that will tie up manpower at Bethesda Game Studios no doubt.
When will be get another trailer for The Elder Scrolls VI?
Regarding them laying out this roadmap on X, the studio assured YouTuber MrMattyPlays that his had nothing to do with the new Xbox boss (Asha Sharma) putting pressure on he studio, but rather they changing their communication strategy. “This is a shift in our approach to communication that Bethesda Game Studios has been contemplating for some time now”, Bethesda told this YouTuber.
Nonetheless, and regarding The Elder Scrolls, there’s no getting around the fact that this is one of Xbox’s most valuable franchises. Last year’s remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was amongst the top 10 selling video games in the US. Part of the team at Bethesda is working on Oblivion Remastered’s Nintendo Switch 2 port, which may tie up developers until its release on August 11. However, some of the optimizations being made to the Switch 2 version might be carried over to the existing console versions and PC, as Bethesda told the aforementioned YouTuber.
But taking into account how The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has sold 65 million copies to date, and that millions of fans are eagerly awaiting The Elder Scrolls VI, Microsoft will likely refrain from making many more layoffs at the studio, even though its recent loss of 50 people is only about 10 % of the total.
Bethesda also said that regarding the game’s development “we’re where we planned to be” and also that they are “playing it every day”. So maybe the next chapter of the Elder Scrolls saga is still on track after all. It’s unlikely arrive before 2028 or 2029 as the likes of Bloomberg have pointed out, but here’s hoping it’s worth the wait when it hits shelves in the future.