This is all educated speculation on my part, as Microsoft and Bethesda haven’t spoken a lot about the deep nuance and practicalities of Redmond gobbling up ZeniMax Media and all its subsidiaries.
The developer could even tap into Microsoft’s beta testing programs, and get keen communities of software enthusiasts to help test various parts of TES6.
Just having access to Microsoft software expertise could help Bethesda gain a leg up in testing and debugging.
Simply being close to two major gaming platforms and their engineers could help Bethesda ensure it gets the most out of Windows 10 and Xbox Series X for TES6. But it could also enable game features, such as a more advanced take on the invasion mechanics seen in the Dark Souls games. Microsoft’s Azure cloud infrastructure could help support development from a practical point of view. (Yes, we know you work at the General Goods store, Sigurd.) This might result in fewer guards spouting about a specific arrow-based injury that cut short their adventuring careers.
The Redmond company has not only Xbox and Windows 10 under its belt, but also a huge amount of other tech.īethesda could tap Microsoft for AI tech to make the characters in TES6 feel more alive, rather than just virtual puppets on a string of set code. What’s also exciting about a longer development period is that Bethesda could look at properly exploring what it could do under Microsoft’s wing. With time and tech, TES6 could be a huge leap forward - even more so than Skyrim was over Oblivion. But Skyrim is a decade old, and that now shows. That’s not to say Skyrim feels static far from it. Speaking of the Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red’s world is smaller - think county, not country - but it's richly detailed, and feels so very alive. As much as I loved exploring Skyrim, I still wish it had a compelling plot like The Witcher 3 to give its many locations a little more meaning. Skyrim was a joy, but repetitive dialogue, a lackluster main campaign and identikit dungeons took the shine off a little. But it also means that the developer could be working on one of the most ambitious TES games yet.
But I’m happy to wait for a game that will have Bethesda’s full attention.Īs mentioned, more time gives Bethesda the scope to squash bugs and refine TES6. Having to wait years to explore Blackrock or Hammerfall (two potential TES6 settings) stings. The last main series Fallout game to release was Fallout 4 in 2015.In a world ravaged by COVID-19 and political unrest, I am one one the many Elder Scrolls fans who’d like nothing more than to lose myself in a fantasy world from the comfort of my sofa or gaming PC. However, since then, it’s made great strides to improve and is now a decent Fallout game for both newcomers and veterans. The last Fallout title to release was Fallout 76, a spin-off title that was criticized heavily upon its release. We’re trying as hard as we can, but we want them to be as best as they can be for everybody.” Howard resonated with fans about the long wait times in between their games, saying “I wish they came out faster, I really do. The developer began work on Starfield in 2015, meaning that it will have been close to eight years before the space RPG is released.Įlder Scrolls VI will likely take the same amount of time, which puts Fallout 5’s release date likely toward the late 2020s to early 2030s. Bethesda has said in the past that it wanted to work on Starfield before Elder Scrolls VI. Pre-production still means that concrete development on Elder Scrolls VI has really yet to begin. “We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well.” “Yes, Elder Scrolls VI is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing Fallout 5 after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while,” Howard told IGN. There is currently no release timeline for Elder Scrolls VI, let alone Fallout 5. Still, this is the first time that Howard or anyone from Bethesda have gone on the record about the developer’s post-Elder Scrolls VI plans. The last Elder Scrolls title was Skyrim, which was released in 2011. After that, the developers will continue to work on Elder Scrolls VI. Starfield is slated for a release in the first half of 2023 after being delayed from November 2022. When speaking to IGN earlier this week, Bethesda Game Studios director and producer Todd Howard confirmed what many fans already assumed: Fallout 5, the next chapter in the famed franchise, is Bethesda’s next planned mainline project after Elder Scrolls VI.Ĭurrently, Bethesda is developing Starfield, their first new IP outside of Elder Scrolls and Fallout in more than 20 years.