Xbox’s Phil Spencer has confirmed The Elder Scrolls 6 is still “five plus years away”. The Xbox boss is also still being careful about mentioning which platforms the Skyrim sequel is planned for, saying: “It’s difficult for us right now to nail down.”
Spencer testified about the status of The Elder Scrolls 6 during today’s Microsoft FTC trial, tiptoeing around the planned platforms for the game given how far away it is. While his hesitation could be referencing uncertainty surrounding whether the game will be a console exclusive, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to consider that The Elder Scrolls 6 may skip the current generation of consoles entirely.
There was some confusion surrounding The Elder Scrolls 6’s potential exclusivity during the trial, as Spencer said previously in his deposition, “I have made public statements that Elder Scrolls 6 will skip PlayStation”, but he now says he does not recall doing this.
Looking back to November 2021, Spencer certainly hinted that Elder Scrolls 6 would be an Xbox exclusive without explicitly saying it. At the time, Spencer said, “It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow. But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls 6. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises.”
Now, in court, Spencer spoke about The Elder Scrolls 6’s release window and planned platforms: “It’s many years away, but it’s a game we have announced we would begin working on.
“I think we’ve been a little unclear on what platforms it will launch on given how far out the game is. It’s difficult for us right now to nail down exactly what platforms that game will launch on.
“As I said with Elder Scrolls 6, it’s so far out it’s hard to understand what the platforms will even be at this point. It’s the same team that’s finishing Starfield, which comes out this September.
“So we’re talking about it being likely five-plus years away.”
The Elder Scrolls 6’s distant, unknown release date isn’t much of a surprise. Bethesda Game Studios is currently gearing up to launch Starfield this September on Xbox Series X and S and PC, and we know The Elder Scrolls 6 is the developer’s next big project. In 2020, Bethesda’s Pete Hines said fans shouldn’t expect details on The Elder Scrolls 6 until “years from now”. As of 2021, the game was still in the design phase.
Based on Spencer’s comments, fans shouldn’t expect The Elder Scrolls 6 to launch until 2028 at the earliest. It’s worth noting 2028 is the year Microsoft expects the next generation of consoles to launch.
For more, read up on Spencer’s comments surrounding PlayStation 5 dev kits and how Microsoft was worried Starfield would skip Xbox. And, check out our recap of the first day of the Microsoft FTC trial.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.