Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard has tempered expectations for The Elder Scrolls 6 in a new interview celebrating Fallout 4‘s 10th anniversary.
Speaking about the studio’s development roadmap, Howard stated that TES6 remains “still a long way off” despite being teased way back in 2018. He offered no release window or platform details for the game.
Howard framed Starfield as a necessary “creative reset” for the studio after years of alternating between Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles. He explained that Bethesda deliberately stepped away from both franchises to launch a new IP and avoid creating “plus-one” sequels that simply iterate on existing formulas.
The comments come as Fallout 4 marks a decade since its November 2015 launch. The game originally pioneered a shorter marketing cycle when Bethesda announced it in June 2015 and shipped just five months later.
Starfield launched in September 2023 as Bethesda’s first new universe in over 25 years. Microsoft confirmed the game surpassed 10 million players shortly after release, though the reception has been mixed compared to the studio’s earlier work.
Howard also reflected on past design decisions that didn’t land with fans. He specifically cited Fallout 4‘s dialogue system and voiced protagonist as choices that limited role-playing freedom and drew sustained criticism from the community.
The studio’s pattern of focusing on one flagship single-player RPG at a time has contributed to lengthy gaps between franchise entries. Skyrim released in 2011, meaning The Elder Scrolls 6 will arrive at least 15 years after its predecessor whenever it finally launches.
What comes next for Bethesda
The interview contained no announcements of new Fallout or Elder Scrolls projects beyond the already-revealed TES6. Bethesda Game Studios currently supports Fallout 76 through its Austin branch while ZeniMax Online Studios separately handles The Elder Scrolls Online.
Both Starfield and the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6 run on Creation Engine 2, Bethesda’s updated version of its long-standing technology. The studio has increasingly embraced official mod support through its Creations marketplace across recent titles.
The Fallout franchise received a major boost in 2024 when Amazon’s Fallout TV series drove renewed interest in the games. Bethesda issued a next-gen update for Fallout 4 earlier this year to capitalize on the momentum.
