The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development, Todd Howard confirms

I'm not sure this qualifies as news, exactly, since it's one of those things that I think the whole world just assumed is happening without needing to be told about it. But in case there was any doubt, Bethesda Game Studios Game Director Todd Howard said in an interview with Geoff Keighley during YouTube's Live at E3 stream (via IGN) that a new Elder Scrolls game is in the works. 

“That's kind of like the elephant in the room, always, when we talk about anything, and I think it's good to tell our fans in these moments, yes, of course we are [making Elder Scrolls 6],” Howard said. “It's something we love. But it is—I have to be careful what I say—it's a very long way off. I could sit here and explain the game to you, and you would say, 'That sounds like you don't even have the technology—how long is that going to take?' And so it's something that's going to take a lot of time, what we have in mind for that game.” 

Howard also confirmed what he half-disavowed back in March: That Bethesda is currently working on two other “large projects” alongside the new Elder Scrolls. In fact, he said it's likely that we'll hear about them before the next Elder Scrolls game is announced. 

“We think very long term. We're not a developer that's going to rush something like this out. Any of our games. So when you think about, what is the future of that kind of game, we have a pretty good idea of what it would be, and it's just going to take technology and time that, really, we don't have necessarily right now.” 

So, there you have it. Bethesda is making another game in its longest-running and most successful blockbuster videogame franchise. The way things are going, I'd almost be willing to bet we'll see a new Fallout someday, too.
 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.