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Former Fallout artist says The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced so early because "it had been so long already since Skyrim that we needed to make sure people were not just pissed at us"

News
By Scott McCrae published 12 January 2026

"There is less economic pressure to just get Elder Scrolls 6 out on a date, but there is more economic pressure to actually make sure it’s good."

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Former Bethesda lead artist Nate Purkeypile says Bethesda isn't likely to rush The Elder Scrolls 6 out the door due to the high expectations behind it.

The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced simultaneously with Starfield back at E3 2018, and it took Starfield over five years from then to release, so it looks like we could pass the 10-year mark of The Elder Scrolls 6's announcement trailer before the game actually releases. Purkeypile thinks the team is possibly in a no-win situation thanks to fan expectations, but reckons Bethesda will take as long as it needs to hopefully hit the mark with fans.

Purkeypile was asked by Esports Insider why he thinks Elder Scrolls 6 was announced so early if there wasn't a chance of it being released anytime soon. He explains, "My assumption was always that we were announcing Starfield, and it had been so long already since Skyrim that we needed to make sure people were not just pissed at us."

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"I would imagine that they will take a while to deliver it because there’s so much pressure behind that title," he explains. Purkeypile adds that Starfield proved that Bethesda is okay with delaying a game, something he explains was "not really the case early on": "On Skyrim, it was like, 'It's coming out on 11/11/11' and we were like, what?! Oh boy, no pressure."

Purkeypile adds that he thinks "there is less economic pressure to just get Elder Scrolls 6 out on a date, but there is more economic pressure to actually make sure it’s good." He adds, "That's a good thing," as "that’s healthy so long as they’re also honest with the team about that." He elaborates, "That’s something that can happen where the team get [sic] told here’s the date, we got to the date and psych! It’s later. And everybody knows that’s coming sometimes."

Xbox accidentally unleashes a wave of Elder Scrolls 6 hopium while trying to hype up GTA 6 and Forza Horizon 6.

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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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