Bethesda Game Studios head Todd Howard claims that The Elder Scrolls 6 will return to the classic style of RPG that the sometimes-beloved developer is known for after the “creative detour” of Fallout 76 and Starfield.
Nevertheless, with the game currently in the midst of active development, Howard has confirmed that the very-long-awaited RPG is now in a playable state at Bethesda. However, for a game of that scale, there’s still a lot of work to be done behind-the-scenes.
In a discussion with the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Howard discussed the upcoming RPG as well as its technical shift to a new version of the Creation Engine. Alongside admitting that the game won’t release “for a while yet”, Howard confirmed that the game will be closer in style to Skyrim and Oblivion than the studio’s more recent titles.
“If you look at our games, we’ve always evolved,” Howard told the podcast. “We do have a certain style that we like, and our fans like, that we want to get better and better at,” Howard said. “I think in many ways, Fallout 76 and Starfield are a little bit of a creative detour from that classic Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Oblivion, where you’re exploring a world in a certain way. And as we come back to Elder Scrolls 6 that we’re doing now, we’re coming back to that classic style that we’ve missed, that we know really well.”
“We’re about to pass a big milestone internally, the majority of the studios is on the game and some of our partners.”
Bethesda Game Studios head Todd Howard
Howard confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be powered by a major engine overhaul. While Fallout 4 was largely powered by an iteration of Skyrim’s original Creation Engine, The Elder Scrolls 6 will not be using an iteration of Starfield’s Creation Engine 2.
Instead, Howard confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be built on Creation Engine 3, a massive engine upgrade that will “bring that detail close to the camera immediately”. The Bethesda lead said “there’s a lot of innovation to be done there still, so that when you step into a world, you feel like you’re experiencing it, really, for the last time, a game like that”.
Howard claimed that Bethesda is “happy with where it’s headed right now” and that the long-awaited RPG will be the type of game that “people expect” from the studio. Unfortunately, we don’t know much more than that with Howard still cagey on any actual details regarding the game’s region, which was reportedly decided back in 2015, or what the main story will be.
As for the game’s long development time, Howard explained that he still regrets the game’s premature reveal 7 years ago. “I think everybody knows why we announced it that why then, it’s not my preference,” he said. “My preference is always you hear nothing, and then one day the game is out. Like there’s an announcement that the game is out. That’s my perfect scenario… Even [back] then, we know where the game is set, we know some of the things we’re doing, [it] was just, ‘hey, this is gonna be happening’. Look, like I said, it’s going, we’re happy with it.”
Additionally, the Elder Scrolls lead confirmed that the game is now “playable” inside Bethesda with the majority of developers still working on the game. “We’re happy with where we’ve pushed the technology and how the game is coming together. You know, we’re able to play it, we’ve just passed a… we’re about to pass a big milestone internally, the majority of the studios is [sic] on the game and some of our partners.
“It’s weird, I’m not here to sell you on [the game], it’s really a catch-up conversation so I feel bad because I feel bad. I appreciate that, but I’m much more, I like to think long-term about when you really see the game and hear about it, focusing on that moment, and kind of, not today or the time in-between.”
Nevertheless, The Elder Scrolls 6 is in the throes of active development, and hopefully we will see something about the game in the near future.
