Elder Scrolls 6 Was Announced 5 Years Ago This Week

The Elder Scrolls VI is one of the most-anticipated upcoming games across the video game industry, and it's about to reach an anniversary of sorts. The game was officially announced on June 10, 2018 as part of Bethesda's own E3 event that year.

The announcement trailer didn't reveal much but showed off a massive, sprawling world that fans got pretty excited to learn more about. What fans might not have expected, however, was that five years would pass without Bethesda providing any further significant information. In any event, you can re-watch the original trailer below.

A lot has changed since The Elder Scrolls VI was announced. Microsoft announced it would acquire Bethesda parent company ZeniMax in September 2020 and closed the deal in March 2021. Because of that, The Elder Scrolls VI is now a Microsoft game, and its exclusivity status has been one of the biggest talking points around the game over the years.

It's expected that The Elder Scrolls VI, similar to Starfield, will be exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC.

As for what we know about The Elder Scrolls VI, despite being announced five years ago, Bethesda has not said much. What we do know is that the game is promising something fans have been asking for, and that is a new technology framework underpinning it. The overhaul to the engine is "probably the largest we've ever had, maybe even larger than Morrowind to Oblivion," game director Todd Howard said.

The story, setting, characters, and other crucial information about the game remain a mystery, however. One theory people have as to why Bethesda announced the game so long ago is that the announcement was part of an effort to recruit staff.

Will The Elder Scrolls VI show up at Xbox Games Showcase on June 11? We don't know. But what is confirmed is that Bethesda Game Studios' next release is Starfield, which releases in September and is getting its own Starfield Direct event on June 11 as well.

Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI aren't the only games that Bethesda Game Studios has in the works, as the team is also making Fallout 5.