Todd Howard has offered a fresh update on The Elder Scrolls VI during a recent discussion with Kinda Funny Games, addressing its early announcement, development progress, and the technological direction behind the project. The high fantasy role-playing game remains in active production at Bethesda Game Studios and is currently the studio’s primary focus following the release of Starfield.
Reflecting on the decision to reveal the game years before launch, Howard acknowledged that it was not his preferred approach. “Everybody knows why we announced it that way. It is not my preference. My preference is always you hear nothing and then one day the game is out. That is my perfect scenario. That cannot always be the case. At that time we wanted to signal to people that we were still going to be doing single player games.”
On the current state of development, Howard indicated that internal progress has been steady. “It is going well. We are happy with it. It is going to be a while yet. We are happy with where we pushed the technology and how the game is coming together. We are able to play it. We have passed major milestones internally. The majority of the studio is on the game.” His comments suggest that while the project remains some time away from release, substantial groundwork has already been completed.
Howard also emphasized a return to a more traditional design philosophy associated with earlier Bethesda titles. “As we come back to Elder Scrolls VI, we are coming back to that kind of classic style that we have missed and that we know really, really well.” This signals a renewed focus on the studio’s established role-playing structure, reminiscent of prior entries such as Skyrim and Oblivion.
In terms of technology, Howard confirmed that the game will run on Creation Engine 3, an evolution of the engine that powered Starfield. “We spent the last several years bringing Creation Engine 2, which powered Starfield, up to Creation Engine 3. That is going to power Elder Scrolls VI and beyond. We are really happy with the new rendering and world systems and how we bring detail close to the camera immediately.”
When asked directly about the release window, Howard responded briefly, stating, “Not this week.” While no launch date has been provided, the project remains a major priority for Bethesda. The Elder Scrolls VI is expected to release on Xbox Series X and S and Windows PC, continuing the studio’s focus on single-player experiences built around expansive worlds and systemic depth.
