Information-Starved The Elder Scrolls 6 Fans Use Official Create-a-Character Competition to Come Up With a Release Date

The Elder Scrolls VI, much like its elusive counterpart Grand Theft Auto VI, remains shrouded in secrecy, leaving fans ravenous for information. It’s no surprise, then, that the community has seized upon any crumb of news, including a recent charity initiative, to fuel release date speculation.

Bethesda recently announced its latest Make-A-Wish project: a chance to collaborate with Bethesda Game Studios to design an NPC for The Elder Scrolls VI. Proceeds from the auction will directly benefit Make-A-Wish, supporting children battling life-threatening illnesses. While a noble cause, this announcement has ignited a firestorm of speculation within the Elder Scrolls community.

Fans are drawing parallels between this Make-A-Wish project and a similar initiative Bethesda ran for Starfield. Reddit user ‘FartingSlowly’ noted that Bethesda's Starfield character creation contest was announced approximately two and a half years before the game's September 2023 release. Based on this, they've extrapolated a potential release date for The Elder Scrolls VI: September 27, 2027.

“This is not a good indicator or metric for release by any standards,” FartingSlowly conceded. “Do not take this too seriously. But. It is finally something. It isn't just a piece of junk speculation based on nothing, it's based on something from Bethesda themselves. Yeah, it's not something to actually care about but it is a refreshing change in the world of speculation.”

However, this prediction has been met with skepticism. Some point out that Starfield’s Make-A-Wish competition was announced closer to its original November 11, 2022 release date, suggesting a possible November 2026 release for The Elder Scrolls VI instead.

It's been a considerable wait since Bethesda's January 2018 announcement of The Elder Scrolls VI. In fact, by June 2024, the game's announcement was as old as Skyrim was when its sequel was announced.

Bethesda confirmed The Elder Scrolls VI entered "early development" in August 2023, with "early builds" available by March 2024. Even Bethesda's Todd Howard acknowledged the lengthy wait, stating, "oh wow, that has been a while." Initial speculation pointed towards a 2028 release at the earliest, potentially on next-generation consoles and PC. Such a launch would place it an incredible 17 years after Skyrim's release. Until then, you can explore everything we know about The Elder Scrolls VI.