Is Elder Scrolls 6 Exclusive To Xbox? Phil Spencer Weighs In With Non-Committal Answer

Bethesda Game Studios just launched its newest game, Starfield, and the company will release The Elder Scrolls VI next. But will the next Elder Scrolls game be exclusive to Xbox on console like Starfield is now that Microsoft owns Bethesda? Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently weighed in.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Spencer reiterated what he's been saying for a while, which is that Microsoft will make decisions about exclusivity on a case-by-case basis.

"We look at it on a case-by-case basis with the games that we build. We want to make sure our games are available in so many different places. On our Xbox consoles. On PC. Also via cloud. These games can come to almost any web-enabled device," Spencer said. "We're looking at millions and millions of players who will have access to Starfield and other Xbox Game Studios games. It's really about giving players choice around how they want to play and they build their library of games."

In June as part of the Microsoft-FTC court case, Spencer said the platforms for The Elder Scrolls VI are not yet decided, in part because the game's release is so far off.

"With Elder Scrolls VI, it's so far out--it's hard to understand what platforms will even be at this point," Spencer said. "It's the same team that's finishing Starfield, which comes out this September. So we're talking about a game that's like five-plus years away."

Microsoft is working on new Xbox hardware, and the next console generation could begin in 2028, so it's possible that The Elder Scrolls VI shows up on whatever the next Xbox turns out to be.

The Elder Scrolls VI was announced in June 2018, and in the five-plus years since, Bethesda has not said much. Bethesda's Todd Howard recently discussed how the game might have been announced too soon. After years of pre-production, The Elder Scrolls VI is now officially in development.

After The Elder Scrolls VI, Bethesda will make Fallout 5.

If you're just getting started with Bethesda's newest game, check out GameSpot's Starfield guides hub to learn how to hit the ground running.