Bethesda's Former Elder Scrolls Loremaster Reveals His Idea for The Elder Scrolls 6 Story — and How It Would Have Set Up Elder Scrolls 7

Bethesda’s erstwhile Elder Scrolls loremaster has revealed his thought for The Elder Scrolls 6 story, and however it would person acceptable up The Elder Scrolls 7.

In an interrogation with PC Gamer discussing his dissatisfaction with moving astatine Bethesda and consequent departure from the institution pursuing the merchandise of Starfield, Kurt Kuhlmann said if helium had got the accidental to pb The Elder Scrolls 6 it would person been similar the beloved Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.

Kuhlmann, who near Bethesda successful 2023 aft much than 20 years astatine the studio, said that successful his communicative the elven supremacists the Thalmor would not lone person been the large atrocious of The Elder Scrolls 6, but they would person ended the crippled connected the roadworthy to victory. This, helium said, would person turned Elder Scrolls’ long-running ‘player is the chosen one’ who achieves a definitive triumph astatine the extremity of the crippled game connected its head, saying that portion you would person “preserved anticipation for the future” by the extremity of The Elder Scrolls 6, “overall it looks similar the Thalmor are connected the march.”

The problem, Kuhlmann said, is that helium doubts Bethesda would spell for an Elder Scrolls crippled with a “bad” ending specified arsenic this, and a cliffhanger is "completely unfeasible" due to the fact that it takes truthful agelong for Bethesda to merchandise caller mainline games successful the phantasy series. "That's not a bully mode to extremity a crippled and say, yeah, we'll spot you successful 10, 15 years,” helium said.

Alas, Kuhlmann’s thought is conscionable that: an idea, and it’s improbable that the existent storyline of The Elder Scrolls 6 volition crook retired to beryllium thing similar it. As for erstwhile we’ll find out, it could beryllium immoderate clip yet. Last year, amid expanding unit from fans for immoderate accusation connected the game, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 wouldn’t beryllium retired for immoderate time. In an interrogation with GQ mag to observe the merchandise of Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 is “still a agelong mode off,” adding: “I’m preaching patience. I don’t privation fans to consciousness anxious.”

More recently, speaking to Game Informer, workplace plan manager Emil Pagliarulo pointed to GTA 6’s high-profile delays arsenic the “smartest happening they could do.”

“What bash fans truly want?” helium asked. “Do they privation a crippled that comes retired earlier it should and doesn’t conscionable their expectations? Or bash they privation the turkey that is successful the oven for agelong capable to beryllium delicious erstwhile it yet comes retired of the oven, you know? That’s what I deliberation radical are going to want. So, we’re going to instrumentality our clip and arsenic agelong arsenic it needs to beryllium great.”

Earlier this month, erstwhile seasoned Bethesda developer Nate Purkeypile said Bethesda whitethorn get “hateful comments” adjacent if The Elder Scrolls 6 ends up conscionable being arsenic bully arsenic Skyrim, which helium considers to beryllium 1 of the apical 10 games of each time.

In January past year, The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement became arsenic aged arsenic predecessor Skyrim was erstwhile The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced. Skyrim was released connected November 11, 2011, and The Elder Scrolls 6 was revealed connected June 10, 2018 — 2,403 days afterwards. It is present seven-and-a-half years since the announcement, and we’re nary closer, it seems, to the merchandise of the game.

When the six-year day of The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement arrived successful June 2024, adjacent Bethesda main Todd Howard paused to say, "oh wow, that has been a while." The Elder Scrolls 6 is astatine slightest successful production, with Bethesda confirming it had entered "early development" successful August 2023 and "early builds" were disposable successful March 2024.

Purkeypile said helium assumed Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 truthful aboriginal due to the fact that the workplace was announcing Starfield astatine a clip erstwhile it had already been truthful agelong since Skyrim came out, truthful “we needed to marque definite radical were not conscionable pissed astatine us.” He continued: “it’s a precise costly mode to bash that, though. Those trailers are not cheap.”

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].