Former Bethesda lead says The Elder Scrolls 6 got announced so early because the studio had to make sure ‘people were not just pissed at us’ for revealing Starfield instead

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Nate Purkeypile, a former lead artist at Bethesda, recently told Esports Insider that the announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6 happened when it did because the studio feared a negative reaction from fans. Both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield were revealed at E3 2018.

It’s been eight years since the last Elder Scrolls game, and fans are desperately hoping a recent comment from Microsoft about 2026 being a big year for games with a ‘6’ in the title means a new installment is coming. However, there’s no actual confirmation of when Bethesda plans to release the next Elder Scrolls. It’s a bit of a leap to assume it’ll be then. One theory is that Bethesda deliberately waited to release Starfield to avoid it being overshadowed by the long-awaited Elder Scrolls.

I always figured we’d be revealing Starfield,” explains Purkeypile. “It had been a long time since Skyrim, so we really needed to avoid upsetting people. Of course, creating those trailers is a pretty costly way to do that – they’re not inexpensive to make!”

With that said, however, he also reckons Bethesda now has the luxury of time.

Purkeypile believes the next major game will likely face delays due to the high expectations surrounding it. He points to Starfield as an example, noting that Bethesda has seemingly learned to prioritize quality over strict release dates. Unlike previous titles like Skyrim, where a specific date was locked in early on – ’11/11/11′ – causing internal stress, they now appear comfortable with pushing back deadlines if needed.

It seems there’s less rush to simply release The Elder Scrolls 6, but more focus on making sure it’s a high-quality game. That’s a positive change, as long as the development team is kept informed about these expectations.

When asked if these games face impossible expectations, Purkeypile agreed, explaining that was a major reason he left. He pointed out that following a massive hit like Skyrim – consistently ranked among the top 10 games ever made – presents an incredibly difficult challenge.

If the new game is well-received, that’s fantastic! Even if it’s as successful as Skyrim, though, there will inevitably be negativity and hateful comments. Sadly, I expect to see more threats and unpleasantness directed at the developers – it’s just a shame things have come to this.

Things then take a turn into the speculative, with Purkeypile asked about where they think The Elder Scrolls 6 should be set. Purkeypile left Bethesda in 2021 to establish Just Purkey Games, which has subsequently released the “heavy metal horror game” The Axis Unseen. So it’s probably best to assume he’s not doling out secret insider knowledge here, so much as having a bit of fun with it.

I’d rather not speculate, but it likely won’t be a region they’ve featured recently—except for Daggerfall, which is a special case. I’m hoping they’ll focus on just one region of Tamriel. That’s one reason I wasn’t a huge fan of Starfield—its massive scale felt overwhelming.

I actually think it’s good to keep things a little more focused. I never really understood the push for endless expansion, anyway. No one ever complained that there wasn’t enough Bethesda game to play – people are still enjoying those games years later! It doesn’t need to be bigger; there’s already so much content there, you can always find more to explore within what exists.

Purkeypile is hoping The Elder Scrolls 6 will be truly innovative, introducing gameplay systems and features that players haven’t experienced before. He suggests this could be anything from a completely reimagined magic system to a brand new skill tree.

I’ve often thought about what lies beyond the borders of Tamriel. It feels like a single, massive land, and I wonder if there’s an entire world waiting to be discovered. What other places and things are out there? That’s always been on my mind.

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2026-01-13 19:48