The Elder Scrolls 6 Director Likes to “Start Over” With Each Title: “How Do You File Away The Age?”

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Back in 2018, most people would have accepted the news that The Elder Scrolls 6 hadn’t been released yet. However, if you’d said that to someone in 2011, right when The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim came out, they likely wouldn’t have believed you. Developing these games is a huge undertaking, and Bethesda prefers to take its time. Game director Todd Howard, for example, often likes to completely restart his approach with each new installment in the series.

The second installment of Game Informer’s “An Oral History of Fallout” featured Howard discussing how the Fallout series changed over time, following a conversation with design director Emil Pagliarulo. Howard explained that the tone and world of the original Fallout became the standard for all future games.

The discussion moved on to Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls games. The speaker explained that when starting a new Elder Scrolls title, they prefer to begin fresh. This involves revisiting the entire series to identify the core elements that truly matter. They focus on what makes the games special – not just the specific mechanics, but the feelings those mechanics evoke and the unique qualities of the game world. It’s about understanding what lies beneath the surface and preserving the essence of the franchise while moving forward.

You know, it’s wild to think that even if we hadn’t gotten the chance to work on Fallout, we were already itching to make a game set after the world ended. But honestly, Fallout itself is just one of a kind – there’s nothing else quite like it, and that’s what really drew us in.

Although The Elder Scrolls 6 might change how players experience the game world, its core leveling system will likely remain similar to Skyrim. Former design director Bruce Nesmith explained that the idea of improving skills through practice will still be central to the game. However, given the series’ history of major changes – like the procedurally generated worlds in Arena and Daggerfall – The Elder Scrolls 6 could still offer some unexpected features.

We still don’t know when The Elder Scrolls 6 will come out, or even which gaming systems it will be on. Bethesda apparently chose the game’s location while working on Fallout 4, but it’s possible those plans have changed. According to Howard, the new game will definitely have more trees than Skyrim.

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2026-02-09 00:11