‘The Elder Scrolls VI’ Delayed Indefinitely By ‘Fallout 4,’ According To Bethesda VP

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was one of the best-received, most critically-acclaimed games of all time. But according to a report from Gaming Bolt, fans shouldn’t expect to see a sequel anytime soon, thanks to the upcoming Fallout 4.

Rumors had pegged The Elder Scrolls VI for an early 2016 release, according to MNR Daily, but a recent interview with Bethesda Softworks Vice President of Design Pete Hines shot that down pretty firmly. Hines, speaking at Gamescom 2015, indicated that the studio would be turning all of their efforts toward completing Fallout 4 and recently took the time to expand on that; specifically, that The Elder Scrolls VI is still “a very long time away.”

To be fair, it’s hard to blame Bethesda for focusing on Fallout 4; their games always tend to be huge and intricate and beset by delays. Bethesda taking the time to put Fallout 4 over The Elder Scrolls is no bad thing, but it’s going to leave a lot of fans disappointed. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released in late 2011 and more than five years — it’s looking like 2017 is the earliest we’ll see another Elder Scrolls — is a long time to wait for a sequel.

Perhaps Bethesda has secretly hired George R. R. Martin as a writer?

All kidding aside, fan speculation about the focus of the next Elder Scrolls game has been rife. Traditionally, each game is set in one region of the game world of Nirn, and The Elder Scrolls Online was set far in the past, offering no hints. That being said, Bethesda has already trademarked the name “Redguard” — in fact, they’ve been renewing the trademark since Skyrim‘s release and rumor has it that the next game will be set in the province of Hammerfell (home of the Redguards) which made an appearance in some of the earliest Elder Scrolls games. That said, other rumors place the game in Black Marsh, home to the lizard-like Argonians.

Unfortunately, Bethesda’s not telling, and Hines seemed reluctant to indicate that The Elder Scrolls VI would even be next in line for the developer. Although this is pure speculation, it’s possible that this is indicative of an entirely new IP will be forthcoming from Bethesda in the near future. They could certainly use at least one if they’re intent on hitting their stated goal of three-to-four major releases per year.

Readers, we turn to you. What do you think is coming next from Bethesda? Is the next Elder Scrolls coming sooner than we thought? Are they rebooting an old property? Share your thoughts below.

[Image courtesy Bethesda Softworks/Zenimax Media]