Highly anticipated: Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls VI seven years ago but has shared few details since about the follow-up to one of the most popular RPGs ever made. On a recent podcast, studio head Todd Howard discussed the sequel's underlying technology and design philosophy while also teasing an update for Starfield.
During a recent interview on the Kinda Funny Games podcast, Howard said the next Elder Scrolls installment will return to the open-world adventure that fans of the fantasy series and Fallout expect. He described Bethesda's most recent major releases, Starfield and Fallout 76, as creative detours.
Fallout 76's online-focused, live-service structure marked a significant departure from games such as Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4, which were single-player adventures set in sprawling worlds filled with quests. Those titles carried the post-apocalyptic setting from Interplay's isometric RPGs into Bethesda's 3D framework, first established in The Elder Scrolls. Meanwhile, Starfield applied a similar formula to a space opera setting, sending players across hundreds of realistically scaled planets.
Howard said the traditional Elder Scrolls formula still leaves room for innovation. He confirmed that The Elder Scrolls VI will run on Creation Engine 3, the successor to Starfield's Creation Engine 2. Most of Bethesda's 500-person staff – including many who worked on Skyrim – is now focused on the project, though Howard cautioned that it is still "a while yet" from release.
In the meantime, Howard confirmed that new content for Starfield is coming soon. However, players shouldn't expect fundamental changes to the game. When Starfield launched in late 2023, it faced criticism for excessive loading screens, repetitive environments, and other issues. While subsequent updates added gameplay features, the game largely remains as it was at launch.
Howard said that players who enjoyed Starfield will likely appreciate the next update, though it probably won't win over those who bounced off the game. He declined to provide specifics, but said the update will introduce broad changes and make new use of outer space. The update, expected to coincide with the game's long-rumored PlayStation 5 port, is anticipated as part of the next major content cycle likely coming this year.
Later in the interview, the Bethesda chief also explained the studio's current position on generative AI. While The Elder Scrolls VI does not include any AI-generated content (yet), Bethesda is carefully observing the technology, as Howard noted its rapid evolution.