Bethesda confirms Elder Scrolls 6 has entered early development

Philip Trahan
elder scrolls 6 dragonborn

Bethesda’s Head of Publishing, Pete Hines, has confirmed that the Elder Scrolls 6 has officially entered early production ahead of Starfield’s release.

Bethesda fans are undoubtedly excited for the upcoming release of Starfield, the first new IP developed by the studio in 29 years.

While players are gearing up to explore the cosmos in Starfield, many are even more excited about the return of Elder Scrolls 6 — first revealed in 2018.

Though news surrounding the next entry in the critically acclaimed fantasy action RPG has naturally been scarce, a key member of Bethesda recently confirmed the game has officially entered early development.

Pete Hines confirms Elder Scrolls 6 development has begun

In an interview with Vandal during Gamescom 2023, Bethesda’s Head of Publishing, Pete Hines, confirmed that Elder Scrolls 6 has left the pre-production phase.

When asked about the game’s current development status, Hines said, “It’s in development, but it’s in early development.”

Unfortunately, that was the only major update Hines was willing to share about the highly anticipated title, as he confirmed the team’s current focus was on Starfield and its impending release.

While it’s great news to hear that ES6 has officially entered the development stage, it’s important to remember that this likely hasn’t changed the lengthy release window the studio set for its release.

Screenshot from The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement teaser
The Elder Scrolls 6 was officially revealed during E3 2018.

Todd Howard recently confirmed Bethesda currently has ES6’s release window in 2028. Howard also added that he probably would have announced the title in a much more casual way, compared to its original 2018 teaser.

For those who may not remember, Bethesda announced ES6 with a brief cinematic teaser that simply showed off a sprawling landscape and the game’s logo.

Considering it’s been five years since that initial reveal, Elder Scrolls fans are naturally chomping at the bit to hear any new information about the game. Hopefully, it won’t be another five years before more concrete details are revealed.

About The Author

Philip is a Staff Writer at Dexerto based in Louisiana, with expertise in Pokemon, Apex Legends, and general gaming industry news. His first job in the games industry was as a reviewer with NintendoEverything.com while attending college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication focusing on Multimedia Journalism, he worked with GameRant.com for nearly two years before joining Dexerto. When he's not writing he's usually tearing through some 80+ hour JRPG. You can contact him at philip.trahan@dexerto.com.