Todd Howard says "it's hard to imagine" not bringing The Elder Scrolls 6 to multiple platforms

TES6
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Todd Howard has said that Bethesda and Microsoft haven't decided what their approach to console exclusivity will be. 

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz about Bethesda's acquisition by Microsoft, the Fallout and Skyrim director said that the two companies "haven't gone through all of that", but that it's "hard to imagine" not launching the likes of The Elder Scrolls 6 on multiple platforms.

Howard makes it clear that the details of the deal aren't final yet, with the acquisition not expected to complete until next year, but suggests that Bethesda will continue to have some control over its releases: "We do view it, and always have by ourselves, on a case-by-case basis. We'll do that as part of Microsoft as well."

That echoes comments made by Phil Spencer earlier this year, who said that Bethesda's potential multiformat games would be judged "case-by-case," but Howard also mentions that the relationship has featured exclusivity in the past - "Morrowind was basically a console exclusive, Oblivion was a long timed exclusive, Skyrim's DLC was exclusive for a long period of time. We'll decide what makes the best sense for our audience when the time comes, and I can't really project today what that looks like."

There's already been some good news for nervous PlayStation fans, as Microsoft has said it will be honouring exclusivity deals for Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Of course, that doesn't mean we should expect a PlayStation release of other Bethesda games - particularly as Spencer has been hinting at the exact opposite - but for now, it's all Sony fans have to go on.

The Elder Scrolls 6 release date is still probably years away, but that doesn't mean we can't get excited about it. Until then, try 10 games like Skyrim that'll satisfy your need for adventure

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.