Bethesda Softworks showcased a bevy of games during the Bethesda E3 Showcase Sunday evening. Fallout 76 is what had many fans tuning into the live broadcast, but Game Director Todd Howard had a few more surprises up his sleeve including confirmation of future games like Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI, and a very special edition of Skyrim for the Amazon Alexa.
‘Starfield’
Bethesda Game Studios has a long history of games, but it could surprise many fans to know the studio has not produced a new original intellectual property (IP) in 25 years. That changes with Starfield, a single-player sci-fi role-playing title that not much else is known about.
A Starfield patent was filed by Bethesda five years ago, which put the title on the radar of video game enthusiasts. The studio has a habit of not announcing or showing games until they are just a few months from release, so the amount of interest led to a very short teaser trailer that creates more questions than answers.
A 2019 release seems likely.
‘The Elder Scrolls VI’
Like Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI has been the subject of intense interest and speculation from the gaming community. Another entry in the franchise was a given. However, Bethesda’s teaser gave little away when it comes to setting and timeline.
The camera sweeps over terrain similar to the Scottish Highlands next to a coast in The Elder Scrolls VI teaser trailer. This had led to speculation and debate in the game’s community that the setting could be Hammerfall, Akavir, or High Rock in the land of Tamriel.
Unfortunately, the earliest fans should expect this is 2020 as Starfield appears to be the priority to release first.
‘Skyrim’ Very Special Edition
Bethesda has used The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as a test vehicle across multiple platforms, which has led to jokes and memes across the community. Bethesda is not afraid of a little self-referential humor and released a humorous trailer for Alexa Skyrim: Very Special Edition with Keegan-Michael Key playing the game on Amazon’s Alexa followed by a pager, an Etch-A-Sketch, and a Samsung refrigerator.
However, it was more than just a joke. Skyrim Very Special Edition for Alexa appeared on the Amazon store early Monday morning. The game is only available in the United States, unfortunately, but is fully voice-controlled for those daring to venture into battle.
New ‘Elder Scrolls’ Mobile Game
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is Bethesda’s attempt to bring the combat of Elder Scrolls to mobile devices. The game can be played in portrait or landscape mode and with taps or by using a virtual gamepad. Combat itself appears to be similar to Infinite Blade with finger swipes used for sword swings and blocks.
The mobile Elder Scrolls title will be released this fall for Android and iOS devices.