The Elder Scrolls VI, the next major installment in Bethesda’s popular fantasy RPG series, is reportedly planned as an Xbox exclusive.
With Bethesda now part of the Microsoft family, a new report says the next mainline Ancient scrolls game will be an Xbox exclusive.
Bethesda’s next title, Starfield, is already an Xbox exclusive, with the game slated for release on Xbox Series X / S and Microsoft Windows on November 11, 2022. In a Twitter post, GamesBeat editor Jeff Grubb responded to a post claiming that Bethesda’s Pete Hines had suggested in a recent interview that Starfield could arrive at Sony̵.
Have You Played The Elder Scrolls VI
Bethesda Game Studios boss Todd Howard announced at E3 2016 that The Elder Scrolls VI was in the works, but the game was still years away from release. At E3 2018, Howard revealed a short teaser trailer for the upcoming Ancient scrolls game, confirming that it would come out later Starfield.
A year ago, in September 2020, they announced that Microsoft would buy ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks (which is the parent company of Bethesda Game Studios), thus bringing Bethesda under the Xbox umbrella. At the time, Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained that future Bethesda titles would be released on non-Microsoft consoles “on a case-by-case basis.”
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In October 2020, Spencer suggested that The Elder Scrolls VI could be an Xbox exclusive. In November, a month later, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan admitted he didn’t know if Starfield or The Elder Scrolls VI would ever be released on PS5. Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax was completed in March of this year.
While there have been several Ancient scrolls spin-offs over the years, the franchise currently consists of five major single-player games: The Elder Scrolls: Arena (1994), The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996), The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011).
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Arena and Daggerfall were released for MS-DOS, while Morrowind was released for the original Xbox and Microsoft Windows. While the Xbox was the only home console it could play on Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim were multi-platform, with both titles launching for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and Windows. Skyrim later made its way to the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Switch. Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions are slated for release later this year to commemorate the game’s 10th birthday.
In other words, if this report is accurate, The Elder Scrolls VI could very well be the first Microsoft-exclusive Elder Scrolls game since Morrowind. Like Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI is likely to release on the Xbox Series X/S and Windows. However, seeing how the game’s launch is still a ways away, an Xbox One version seems unlikely.
Developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks, The Elder Scrolls VI does not have a release date.
The Bottom Line
That means Xbox Game Pass subscribers would get access to Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 6, the new Indiana Jones game, and any future Bethesda titles, on launch day for free as part of their Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Both companies are also allegedly gearing up for announcements in the Summer (between June and September). While Bethesda is now technically a Microsoft studio, the report claims that the two companies plan to hold separate showcases. However, the showcases may be held back-to-back.
Last we heard, even Sony itself was unclear of what the acquisition would mean for PlayStation players. In an interview with Russian publication TASS (via our friends at GamesRadar), Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said back in November that he’s still uncertain as to whether upcoming titles Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 will come to PlayStation – or whether both will be Microsoft exclusives.
