The Elder Scrolls 6 could be Todd Howard's last game

Games industry veteran and long-serving Bethesda lead Todd Howard may call it quits after Elder Scrolls 6.

Speaking to IGN, Howard reflects on the changing nature of creating games. Not only do they take longer to make, but supporting them after launch has become a bigger part of everyone's plans, including Bethesda's with Starfield.

"So our ability, like we talked about, to support Starfield... Whereas maybe in the old days, you would put it out and then you'd go on to a sequel, now we can support that game for a much longer period of time, which is what our plan is," he says.

"And then as we look to an Elder Scrolls 6, that is one where... I probably shouldn't say this. But if I do the math, I'm not getting any younger. How long do people play Elder Scrolls for? That may be the last one I do. I don't know."

While the idea of getting this all done quickly clearly appeals, Howard insists what's important is giving games like Starfield the time in the oven it needs, pointing further afield to games like Grand Theft Auto as evidence that taking your time won't impact you negatively.

"I think Half-Life 3 will do fine, right?" Howard says. "So even though in the moment, how do I bring that closer to reality today, because I want to play it, those gaps, these are still evergreen franchises that I think when they come, it's about just doing it right.

"I want to be faster, but speed isn't the goal."

Alongside commitments to Starfield, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout, Howard also serves as an executive producer on MachineGames' Indiana Jones game. Where that sits alongside Fallout and The Elder Scrolls remains to be seen, though Howard certainly isn't short of projects to keep him going in the meantime.

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.