The Elder Scrolls 6 Returns to Classic Style: What Todd Howard Revealed [2025]

The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Coming Back to What Made Bethesda Great

When Todd Howard dropped hints about The Elder Scrolls 6 direction in recent interviews, something shifted in how fans think about Bethesda's future. After years of radio silence punctuated by that surprise 2018 announcement, hearing the studio head actually talk about the game's philosophy feels significant.

Here's what matters: Howard didn't just say the game exists. He explained why Bethesda is deliberately stepping away from what Starfield attempted. That's not a small detail. It's a direct statement about priorities, player feedback, and what the studio learned from experimenting with a space-focused RPG.

The gap between Starfield's release in 2023 and any Elder Scrolls 6 gameplay reveal is massive. We're talking years, possibly a decade. But the design direction Todd Howard outlined gives us real insight into what the team is actually building behind closed doors. And honestly, it sounds like they're listening to what the community wanted all along.

Let's break down exactly what Todd Howard revealed, why it matters for fans, and what it actually means for the game you'll eventually play.

TL; DR

• Classic exploration focus: The Elder Scrolls 6 returns to the world-exploration formula that defined Skyrim, Oblivion, and older titles.
• Starfield wasn't the blueprint: Howard explicitly positioned this as a departure from the space-focused design of Bethesda's recent experiment.
• Same team, new direction: The majority of Skyrim's developers still work at the studio and are leading development.
• Years away still: Despite being announced in 2018, the game remains in early development with no release window.
• Better at what works: The studio is focusing on refining its signature style rather than chasing new genres.

Elder Scrolls 6 has the longest development timeline among recent major RPGs, suggesting a more ambitious vision by leveraging next-gen hardware. Estimated data for Elder Scrolls 6.

Todd Howard's Exact Words: A Return to Form

In a video interview with Kinda Funny (covered extensively by gaming outlets), Todd Howard made a specific statement that cuts through years of speculation. He said the team wants to "get better and better" at the studio's certain style that both Bethesda and its fans appreciate. That's diplomatic language for saying: we know what works, we got distracted, we're coming back.

The director explicitly framed Starfield and Fallout 76 as "creative detours" from the core Elder Scrolls and Fallout experience. Notice he didn't say they were failures. He said they were detours. There's a meaningful difference. Detours imply you know where you're going and took a different route to explore something. That's how internally they're positioning these games.

When Howard discussed classic Elder Scrolls and Fallout games—Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Oblivion—he emphasized the exploration element specifically. "Where you're exploring a world in a certain way," he said. That phrase matters. He didn't say "where you're shooting things" or "where you're crafting" or "where you're completing quests." He went straight to exploration as the core experience.

The fact that the majority of people who made Skyrim still work at Bethesda Game Studios is crucial context. This isn't a team learning the Elder Scrolls formula for the first time. These are veteran developers who shipped one of the best-selling RPGs of all time. They know what worked. Howard's statement confirms they're applying that knowledge directly.

Why Starfield Felt Different (And Not Always in a Good Way)

Starfield launched in September 2023 to generally positive reviews. Critics praised the ship customization, the scope of the universe, the quest design in some areas. But player reception told a different story than the review scores suggested.

The massive empty space became the narrative everyone focused on. Not because players hated empty space conceptually, but because Bethesda's execution made exploration feel hollow in a game literally set in space. You'd dock at a location, exit your ship, walk through an identical-looking facility, complete a quest, and leave. Rinse and repeat across 100+ planets.

Compare that to Skyrim. You leave Riverrun and the landscape changes immediately. Nordic architecture gives way to different environments, enemy types, environmental storytelling. Each region feels distinct. That's what players were missing in Starfield—the sense that the world itself was the adventure.

The flight mechanics in Starfield weren't seamless either. Load screens between space travel and planetary landing broke immersion for players who'd grown up with Bethesda games. In Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind, you moved through the world continuously. Fast travel was optional. The journey was part of the experience.

Bethesda reportedly heard this feedback loud and clear. Sales numbers were solid but not exceptional for an exclusive AAA release. Player engagement metrics probably showed people dropping off after certain hours. When the studio's creative lead says they're "coming back to that classic style we've missed," he's acknowledging that the detour didn't resonate the way the core formula does.

Since the 2018 announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6, significant industry events include a console generation shift, Bethesda's acquisition by Microsoft, and the release of Starfield. Estimated data.

What "Classic Style" Actually Means for Gameplay

When Todd Howard says The Elder Scrolls 6 is returning to classic style, he's not being vague. He's pointing to specific design pillars that defined Elder Scrolls games.

Organic world exploration is first. In classic Elder Scrolls games, you could walk in any direction and encounter something interesting. A shrine. A bandit camp. Ruins with environmental storytelling. Your journal would fill up with rumors and locations from NPCs. You'd explore off the beaten path and find things the game never explicitly told you about. Starfield's procedural generation couldn't match that because most planets were genuinely empty—the hand-crafted content was confined to specific locations.

Meaningful character building and freedom comes next. Skyrim let you ignore the main quest for 200 hours and still feel like you were playing the game correctly. You could become a vampire, a werewolf, a dark elf assassin, a orc barbarian—with actual gameplay consequences and faction quest lines that changed how NPCs treated you. The Elder Scrolls 6 likely returns to this approach rather than the more linear progression path Starfield emphasized.

Dialogue and NPC interaction shaped older Elder Scrolls experiences in ways modern players sometimes forget. Sure, Skyrim's dialogue system was simplified compared to Morrowind, but NPCs felt like they lived in the world. They had schedules. They had opinions about you. You could join their factions and work your way up. This creates emergent storytelling that procedural generation struggles to replicate.

Environmental storytelling through design is crucial. In Oblivion and Skyrim, you'd walk into an abandoned ruin and the layout of bodies, bones, and furniture told stories about what happened. Skeletons in certain positions, specific items, architectural choices—all conveyed narrative without a single quest marker or dialogue box. This level of hand-crafted detail is resource-intensive but creates the exploration magic classic Elder Scrolls games delivered.

The Majority of Skyrim's Team Is Still There

One sentence from Todd Howard deserves more attention than it typically gets: "The majority of people who made Skyrim are still at the studio." That's enormous context.

Skyrim shipped in 2011. That's 14 years ago. Game development team turnover is brutal over that timeline. Studios lose people to burnout, competing offers, different directions. The fact that most of the people who shipped one of the most successful RPGs ever are still at Bethesda Game Studios means you're getting developers who:

• Understand exactly why Skyrim resonated with hundreds of millions of players
• Have lived through the post-launch support and mod community evolution
• Can identify which design decisions aged well and which didn't
• Know the technical and creative limitations they hit before
• Understand the community's actual desires versus marketing narratives

This isn't some new team learning the franchise. These are veterans who've been thinking about Elder Scrolls design for over a decade since Skyrim's release.

The institutional knowledge matters enormously. They know why removing the attribute system in Skyrim (compared to Oblivion) felt like a loss. They understand why players still create builds despite less granular character customization. They've watched millions of modders extend Skyrim in specific directions—and those mods reveal what the community actually wants.

Fallout 76 and the Lessons Learned

Talking about Starfield's creative direction requires acknowledging Fallout 76, which preceded it. And Howard explicitly mentioned Fallout 76 as a "creative detour" in the same breath as Starfield.

Fallout 76 launched in 2018 to a rough reception. The always-online requirement, the server-based economy, the lack of human NPCs, the focus on multiplayer chaos over story—these features felt disconnected from what made Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 work. The game has improved significantly since launch through years of updates and content patches. But it never recaptured the single-player immersion that drew people to previous Fallout games.

Howard's decision to frame both Fallout 76 and Starfield as creative experiments rather than failures shows maturity. The studio tried new things. They learned. Now they're applying those lessons.

For The Elder Scrolls 6, this means:

• No always-online requirement (almost certainly)
• No multiplayer-first design philosophy
• No procedural generation as the primary content driver
• A return to hand-crafted worlds with intentional design
• Story and character focus over emergent multiplayer chaos

These seem obvious, but they're explicit rejections of directions Bethesda explored. That clarity matters.

Estimated data shows Skyrim maintains higher player engagement over time compared to Starfield, highlighting the impact of world design and exploration mechanics.

When Starfield Released: Context for the Shift

Starfield launched as an Xbox exclusive in September 2023. By every commercial metric, it was massively successful. It's one of the best-selling games ever. It won Game of the Year awards. It drove Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.

But something shifted in the narrative around that game in the months following its release. Initial enthusiasm cooled. Player retention numbers, while solid, didn't match the scale Bethesda likely projected. Content creators moved to other games faster than expected. The game became the subject of interesting discussion about scope, ambition, and execution—not just universal praise.

That's the environment in which Todd Howard started giving interviews about Elder Scrolls 6. Not a celebration of Starfield's success, but a discussion of what Bethesda learned and what comes next.

The timing matters. If Starfield had been a cultural phenomenon with sustained player engagement and universal fan love, Howard might be talking about expanding on that formula. Instead, he's quietly repositioning toward the proven approach that has sustained player engagement for over a decade (in Skyrim's case).

The Announcement Timing Mistake: Howard Reflects

Howard made an interesting meta-observation in his interview: he wishes The Elder Scrolls 6 had been announced later. The 2018 announcement came way too early.

Think about what's happened since 2018. The console generation changed. Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft. Starfield was announced, developed, and released. The gaming industry shifted. And fans have been waiting for seven years with only vague promises.

Howard's reflection suggests the studio learned something about managing expectations. Announcing games too far in advance creates impossible momentum to maintain. Fans build expectations that no actual game can meet. Development pivots that make perfect sense during creation feel like betrayals when announced years before release.

For The Elder Scrolls 6, this lesson probably means Bethesda won't announce major details until the game is much further along. Don't expect elaborate reveals until development is 60-70% complete. That protects the creative process and sets more realistic expectations.

The World-Building Foundation: What Will Be Different

The Elder Scrolls universe has some foundational elements that Starfield simply couldn't replicate in the same way. Tamriel, the setting for all Elder Scrolls games, has thousands of years of lore built in. Each province has distinct cultures, histories, and architectural styles. This creates natural environmental variety that Starfield's infinite empty planets couldn't match.

When you're in Skyrim's Reach, you expect Nordic mead halls, rough stone structures, and bitter cold. When you're in Whiterun, you expect Nordic fortifications adapted to plains living. When you're in Dawnstar, you expect hardship and harsh conditions. All that lore and visual language comes "for free" because it's grounded in established world-building.

Starfield, by contrast, had to create every location from scratch. A procedurally-generated world lacks the cultural coherence that makes exploration feel meaningful. Without that grounding, every settlement looks similar enough that you notice the repetition.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will almost certainly leverage similar established lore for wherever it's set. Whether it's returning to familiar provinces or exploring somewhere new like Black Marsh or Elsweyr, there's decades of community-created lore, fan theorizing, and established expectations to build from.

That foundation—decades of world-building—is one advantage The Elder Scrolls 6 has that Starfield fundamentally couldn't. And it's one reason returning to "classic style" makes sense. You're leveraging all that accumulated richness.

Elder Scrolls 6 is expected to feature significant technical improvements, particularly in seamless loading and draw distances, thanks to next-gen console capabilities. Estimated data.

The Character Building and Progression Philosophy Shift

Skyrim famously simplified character building compared to Oblivion. You no longer chose attributes directly. You selected a birth sign for minor bonuses. The main character progression came from using skills, with a perks system providing meaningful power increases.

This worked brilliantly and allowed players to "accidentally" develop powerful builds without understanding game systems. A sneaky archer could level naturally without thinking about optimization. A magic user would become stronger through using spells. The system was intuitive and forgiving.

Starfield moved further toward simplification, with even fewer meaningful character differentiation options. Your background provided some bonuses, but the core experience was more about gear and weapon variety than character build distinction.

When Todd Howard talks about returning to classic Elder Scrolls style, the character building system is almost certainly part of that. This probably means:

• More impactful skill choices that shape gameplay
• A perks system that offers real build differentiation
• Fewer "optimal" builds, more viable playstyles
• Clear progression through character advancement, not just loot
• Consequences for character choices that persist throughout the game

This is speculative, but it's grounded in what Howard emphasized: the style that "our fans like." And the Elder Scrolls community has been consistent about wanting deeper character building systems.

Faction Gameplay and Consequential Choices

One of Skyrim's greatest strengths was faction systems. You could join the Dark Brotherhood, the Thieves Guild, the College of Winterhold, the Companions, or House factions in each hold. Each faction had its own quest line, its own identity, its own purpose for existing in the world.

Joining a faction changed how NPCs treated you. Completing faction quests changed the world. Some factions conflicted with each other, forcing you to choose. This created genuine roleplay opportunities and reasons to replay the game with different character builds.

Starfield largely abandoned faction depth in favor of more linear questlines and minimal consequences. You worked for various factions, but joining Faction A didn't meaningfully prevent you from working for Faction B. The world didn't change based on faction membership.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will almost certainly emphasize faction systems again. It's core to what made classic Elder Scrolls games feel like living worlds where your choices mattered. This means:

• Competing factions with actual ideological differences
• Quest lines that reshape the world based on faction progression
• Real consequences for advancing one faction over another
• NPCs who remember your faction membership and react accordingly
• Optional factions that players can ignore for different playstyles

This level of system design requires hand-crafted worlds where developers can track the consequences of player choices. Procedurally-generated content struggles with that complexity. It's another reason Starfield's approach and Elder Scrolls 6's likely approach are fundamentally different.

The Technical Foundation: Engine and Hardware Capabilities

The Elder Scrolls 6 will launch on next-generation consoles (likely Play Station 6 and Xbox Series X|S successors). That hardware leap from Starfield's base enables significant visual and systemic improvements.

Bethesda uses a proprietary engine descended from the Gamebryo engine that's powered Elder Scrolls and Fallout games since Oblivion. By the time Elder Scrolls 6 ships, this engine will have been refined for years specifically with modern hardware in mind.

This probably means:

• Seamless loading between interior and exterior spaces (a long-standing Bethesda challenge)
• Higher draw distances with better LOD (level of detail) systems
• More NPCs in cities without performance degradation
• More complex lighting and weather systems
• Better crowd simulation and animation
• More detailed destruction and environmental interaction

These technical improvements support the classic Elder Scrolls design goals. A dense city with 100+ NPCs all with routines feels more alive than a sparse settlement with 20 NPCs. Seamless loading between caves and wilderness feels more immersive than loading screens breaking the experience.

The hardware capabilities of next-gen platforms align perfectly with Todd Howard's stated vision of returning to world exploration as the core experience.

The classic Elder Scrolls gameplay is defined by organic exploration and environmental storytelling, both rated highly for their importance in creating an immersive experience. Estimated data.

The Modding Community Factor

Skyrim's extraordinary longevity is directly tied to modding. Nexus Mods has over 60,000 mods for Skyrim. The modding community has essentially kept the game alive and relevant for 14 years through community-created content, fixes, and expansions.

This isn't incidental to Skyrim's success. It's central to it. Bethesda understood this years ago and built mod support directly into the creation kit and console versions.

Starfield launched with mod support, but adoption has been slower. Fewer mods exist, less variety exists, and community engagement with modding feels muted compared to Skyrim.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will almost certainly launch with the same mod-friendly approach. And given the community's demonstrated desire to extend and improve Elder Scrolls games, modding is probably baked into Todd Howard's thinking about classic style.

A hand-crafted world with clear rules and consistent systems is easier for modders to extend than procedurally-generated content. This means Bethesda isn't just appealing to players by returning to classic exploration—they're also setting up the modding ecosystem for success, which sustains engagement for a decade.

Release Timeline Expectations: Years, Not Months

Todd Howard didn't hide the timeline reality: "It's going to be a while yet." For a game announced in 2018 with no concrete development details seven years later, "a while" likely means at least 3-4 more years. Possibly longer.

Consider the development trajectory:

• 2018-2023: Early development, design exploration, foundational decisions
• 2023-2025: Starfield's post-launch support and stabilization
• 2025+: Elder Scrolls 6 production ramp-up
• 2028-2030: Likely launch window (speculative)

Bethesda has massive resources, but Elder Scrolls games are monumental projects. Skyrim took about five years of full production. Oblivion took about four years. The Elder Scrolls 6 is launching on more powerful hardware with higher visual expectations, which extends development time.

Howard's statement about wishing the game was announced later acknowledges that managing a decade-long announcement-to-release cycle is brutal. The studio has probably learned to be tighter-lipped about future projects.

For fans, this means managing expectations differently. Don't expect Elder Scrolls 6 within the next 2-3 years. Don't expect major reveals until 2026 at the earliest. Plan for a 2028-2030 launch window and you'll be pleasantly surprised if it comes earlier.

What This Means for Fallout 5

Todd Howard revealed that the majority of Bethesda's team is working on The Elder Scrolls 6, with a smaller group continuing Fallout 76 post-launch support. This has direct implications for Fallout 5.

Fallout 5 isn't in active production yet. The team is focused on Elder Scrolls 6. Once that game launches and enters post-launch support mode, the studio will shift resources toward Fallout 5. Given Elder Scrolls 6's likely 2028-2030 launch, Fallout 5 probably won't enter full production until 2029-2030 at the earliest.

This puts Fallout 5 potentially 6-8 years away from launch. It's a long timeline, but it makes sense. Bethesda owns multiple major franchises, and they're making decisions about which gets priority development time.

Howard's statement that Fallout 5 will exist "in a world where the stories and events of the [Fallout] show happened or are happening" suggests the studio is waiting to see how the Fallout TV adaptation performs before fully committing to Fallout 5's direction. That's smart business—align the game with the show's success and momentum.

Skyrim's modding community is significantly more active and engaged than Starfield's, with over 60,000 mods and higher variety and engagement levels. (Estimated data)

Comparison to Other Major RPG Developments

The Elder Scrolls 6's development timeline puts it in interesting company. Consider other major RPGs in production:

Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched in October 2024 after about five years of full production. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launched in February 2024 as part of a multi-game series. Dragon's Dogma 2 launched in March 2024. These games represent the current generation of AAA RPG development.

All of these launched or are launching on current hardware without waiting for next-generation consoles. Bethesda's decision to wait for true next-gen hardware suggests a more ambitious vision. The studio wants to leverage newer technology fully rather than launching on aging hardware.

Compare this to Starfield, which shipped on Xbox Series X|S hardware that was already four years old at launch. That technical constraint probably frustrated the creative vision. With Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda is avoiding that problem by building specifically for next-generation consoles.

This longer development window means Elder Scrolls 6 can push what's possible in RPG design more aggressively. It's a calculated bet that waiting for better hardware is worth the extended timeline.

The Cultural Moment: Why Classic Style Makes Sense Now

There's a meta-level reason why Bethesda returning to classic Elder Scrolls style makes sense right now. The gaming industry has been chasing whatever worked for one game and trying to replicate it endlessly. Open-world games all started looking similar. Live service games promise ongoing content but often disappoint. Procedural generation promised infinite content but delivered shallow experiences.

Players are tired of trends. They want substance. They want games that respect their time. They want worlds that feel lived-in and meaningful rather than infinitely generated and hollow.

Skyrim succeeded because it nailed the basics: a cohesive world, meaningful choices, engaging character building, and exploration rewarded curiosity. It didn't need to be "live service." It didn't need procedural generation. It needed to be a great single-player RPG with depth.

Twelve years later, that formula hasn't aged poorly. It's aged better than most AAA games from that era. The gaming audience has shifted, and what players actually want aligns perfectly with what Bethesda is saying about Elder Scrolls 6.

There's a lesson in restraint here. Do one thing excellently rather than multiple things adequately. Build a world rather than generate one. Create meaning through design rather than hoping systems create emergent storytelling. This is Todd Howard's implicit statement in his "classic style" emphasis.

The Microsoft Factor and Exclusivity Expectations

Bethesda is now a Microsoft subsidiary (acquired in 2021), but The Elder Scrolls 6 will almost certainly launch on Play Station 5's successor. Microsoft's track record with acquisition-era exclusivity has been releasing games across platforms after initial periods.

Starfield remains Xbox exclusive, but that's partly due to the acquisition timing. By the time Elder Scrolls 6 launches (likely 2028-2030), the exclusivity politics will have shifted. Microsoft's strategy emphasizes Game Pass accessibility and platform agnosticism.

Expect The Elder Scrolls 6 on both Play Station and Xbox platforms, possibly with a Game Pass launch on Xbox. The exclusivity period, if any, will likely be much shorter than Starfield's.

This doesn't affect the game itself, but it shapes expectations about availability. This is a game designed for a massive audience, not a platform-exclusive driver.

What Players Actually Want: The Feedback Loop

Todd Howard's statement about returning to classic style isn't him inventing a new direction. It's him responding to what players have made abundantly clear through 14 years of Skyrim engagement, modding community focus, and community feedback about Starfield.

The Elder Scrolls community has been consistent:

• They want hand-crafted worlds over procedurally-generated ones
• They want rich character building systems
• They want factions that matter
• They want environmental storytelling
• They want exploration to feel rewarding
• They want mod support
• They want meaningful choice and consequences

All of this is classic Elder Scrolls design. None of it is revolutionary. But it all got diluted in Starfield's design philosophy. Todd Howard's current statements suggest Bethesda heard the feedback and is responding.

This is actually a best-case scenario for players: a major studio with resources, proven talent, and institutional knowledge returning to what they do best rather than chasing trends.

Future Expansions and DLC Philosophy

Skyrim received three major DLC releases: Dawnguard, Dragonborn, and Dragonborn. Each added significant content and questlines. The pattern was successful enough to repeat.

Starfield's DLC approach is different—fewer major expansions, more cosmetic and smaller content drops. This reflects broader industry trends toward live service and cosmetic monetization.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely return to the Skyrim expansion model. Substantial DLC packs that add questlines, new regions, and major features. This plays well with the "classic style" philosophy and the community expectations shaped by Skyrim's DLC success.

Expect 2-3 major expansions over the game's first 4-5 years post-launch, each adding 10-20 hours of substantial content. This creates ongoing reasons to return to the game while also providing the studio revenue to fund development.

The Competitive Landscape: Where RPGs Are Headed

When The Elder Scrolls 6 launches, the RPG competitive landscape will be completely different than it is now. By 2028-2030:

• Baldur's Gate 3 will be old news with inevitable sequels planned
• Dragon's Dogma likely has another sequel or expansion
• Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy might be complete
• Elden Ring successors or spiritual successors will exist
• Various Chinese RPGs will have grown massively in popularity

This competition is healthy because it means Bethesda can't release a mediocre game and dominate through name recognition. The studio has to execute brilliantly. Todd Howard's emphasis on returning to classic strengths suggests they understand this reality.

The Elder Scrolls 6 isn't launching into a vacuum where there's one dominant RPG franchise. It's launching into a market where players have options. That's actually good for the quality of the final product because mediocrity isn't an option.

Looking Further Ahead: The Elder Scrolls Online Factor

The Elder Scrolls Online has been running since 2014 and shows no signs of stopping. By the time Elder Scrolls 6 launches, ESO will be 16 years old. It'll probably still be pulling revenue and maintaining an active community.

This creates an interesting dynamic: two Elder Scrolls games existing simultaneously. ESO's multiplayer focus and Elder Scrolls 6's single-player focus create complementary rather than competitive experiences. Someone might enjoy the social elements of ESO while also playing Elder Scrolls 6 for the solo story experience.

This is actually ideal for Bethesda. It means the Elder Scrolls franchise has multiple entry points depending on what players want. Some players want the MMO experience. Others want traditional single-player RPGs. The franchise can support both.

The Vision Todd Howard Articulated

Looking back at what Todd Howard actually said, it's remarkably clear and practical:

• Honest assessment: Starfield and Fallout 76 were creative experiments (not the primary direction)
• Clear vision: Classic Elder Scrolls exploration style is the goal
• Team stability: The core creative team from Skyrim remains
• Long timeline: Patience is required; the game will take time
• Philosophy shift: Doing what they do best rather than chasing new trends

This is a mature, confident statement from a developer who knows their strengths and is committing to them rather than constantly reinventing.

FAQ

What did Todd Howard specifically say about The Elder Scrolls 6?

Todd Howard stated that The Elder Scrolls 6 will return to the studio's "classic style" of exploration that defined games like Skyrim, Oblivion, and Fallout 3. He explicitly positioned Starfield and Fallout 76 as "creative detours" from this core design philosophy and emphasized that the majority of developers who made Skyrim are still at Bethesda Game Studios working on the next Elder Scrolls title.

When will The Elder Scrolls 6 be released?

Todd Howard reiterated that "it's going to be a while yet" for The Elder Scrolls 6 to arrive. The game was announced in 2018, and with development still in early stages as of 2024, a realistic launch window is likely 2028-2030 or potentially later. The studio is waiting for next-generation console hardware to fully leverage the game's design vision.

How is The Elder Scrolls 6 different from Starfield?

Unlike Starfield's procedurally-generated planets and space exploration focus, The Elder Scrolls 6 returns to hand-crafted world design with emphasis on organic exploration and environmental storytelling. Todd Howard emphasized that Starfield's approach was an experiment that didn't align with the core Elder Scrolls design philosophy, which prioritizes meaningful character building, faction systems, and dense, cohesive worlds over procedural generation and live-service elements.

Will The Elder Scrolls 6 have the same character building as Skyrim?

While not officially confirmed, Todd Howard's emphasis on returning to "classic style" strongly suggests a deeper character building system more aligned with Oblivion's complexity than Starfield's simplification. The original source points to the development team's desire to "get better and better" at the studio's signature style, implying refinement rather than simplification of character progression systems.

Does the creative team that made Skyrim still work on Elder Scrolls 6?

Yes, according to Todd Howard, the majority of people who created Skyrim remain at Bethesda Game Studios and are directly leading The Elder Scrolls 6 development. This provides continuity of vision and institutional knowledge about what made Skyrim successful, while also allowing the team to refine systems and address limitations they encountered in the previous game.

What about Fallout 5? When is that coming?

Fallout 5 is not currently in active production. Most of Bethesda's development resources are focused on The Elder Scrolls 6. The team stated that the majority of staff is working on Elder Scrolls, leaving a smaller contingent on Fallout 76 post-launch support. Fallout 5 will likely enter full production after Elder Scrolls 6 launches, making a realistic release window 2030-2032 or beyond.

Will The Elder Scrolls 6 support mods like Skyrim did?

While not explicitly stated in recent interviews, Todd Howard's emphasis on returning to classic Elder Scrolls design philosophy strongly implies mod support will remain a priority. The modding community was instrumental in Skyrim's 14-year lifespan and cultural longevity, and given that the current development direction emphasizes classic design, modding accessibility is almost certainly part of the vision.

Is The Elder Scrolls 6 exclusive to Xbox?

No official exclusivity statement has been made. However, given that Bethesda is now owned by Microsoft and their track record with Starfield's exclusive status, The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely launch on multiple platforms. Microsoft's modern strategy emphasizes Game Pass and cross-platform accessibility rather than strict exclusivity, suggesting Play Station versions are probable after an initial exclusive period, if any.

What does "classic style" mean for gameplay?

Classic Elder Scrolls style emphasizes hand-crafted world exploration over procedurally-generated content, meaningful character building with build differentiation, faction systems with real consequences, environmental storytelling through design, and organic world navigation that rewards exploration and curiosity. Todd Howard's statement contrasts this directly with Starfield's approach, highlighting that classic style prioritizes depth and cohesion over scope and procedural generation.

Conclusion: Bethesda's Course Correction

Todd Howard's recent statements about The Elder Scrolls 6 represent something significant beyond just confirming the game's direction. They represent a studio acknowledging that chasing trends and experimenting with new formulas doesn't always serve your core audience or your core strengths.

Starfield wasn't a bad game. It's one of the best-selling games ever made. But it taught Bethesda something important: their greatest strength isn't creating infinite procedurally-generated spaces. It's creating cohesive worlds where meaningful choices matter, where exploration feels rewarding, and where character building lets you play the game your way.

That's a mature realization. Many studios continue pushing in directions that worked well once and stubbornly double down even when community feedback suggests a different course. Bethesda's willingness to reset and return to what defined their greatest success is admirable.

The 14-year gap between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely result in a game that builds on everything learned in that interim period. Skyrim's strengths refined. Skyrim's limitations addressed with modern technology. A bigger world, more NPCs, more reactive systems, more environmental detail. Better character building informed by years of modding trends. Deeper quest design refined through Elder Scrolls Online's experiments.

This is a best-case scenario: a proven team with institutional knowledge, working on a franchise they understand deeply, with years of development time, focused on doing what they do best rather than chasing trends.

Yes, the wait is long. Yes, managing expectations across a decade-long announcement-to-release cycle is brutal. But when The Elder Scrolls 6 finally arrives, it has the potential to redefine what players expect from open-world RPGs the way Skyrim once did.

Until then, we have Todd Howard's clarity: classic style. Proven design philosophy. A team that knows what works. And years to wonder what Bethesda will accomplish with all that experience and all that technology.

That's worth waiting for.

Key Takeaways

• After years of radio silence punctuated by that surprise 2018 announcement, hearing the studio head actually talk about the game's philosophy feels significant
• [Development Timeline of Major RPGs](https://c3wkfomnkm9nz5lc
• Png)

*Elder Scrolls 6 has the longest development timeline among recent major RPGs, suggesting a more ambitious vision by leveraging next-gen hardware

• The fact that the majority of people who made Skyrim still work at Bethesda Game Studios is crucial context
• These are veteran developers who shipped one of the best-selling RPGs of all time

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