Bethesda is "not working on" The Elder Scrolls 6 just yet [Updated]

Update: Hines sent us a statement clarifying his tweet, and the status of The Elder Scrolls 6. "[Howard] said we were going to make it," he said. "He never said it was in development."

Original post:

A couple of weeks ago, Todd Howard of Bethesda confirmed that, yes, the studio is making a new Elder Scrolls game. “I think it's good to tell our fans in these moments, yes, of course we are,” he said during YouTube's Live at E3 stream. Not that an official announcement of TES6 is imminent or anything like that, but somewhere, deep in the bowels of Fortress Bethsoft, wheels are turning.

But maybe they're actually not. Pete Hines, Bethesda's vice-president of PR and marketing, threw a splash of cold water on the fun when he said on Twitter over the weekend, “We aren't working on TES6 at the moment.” That seems pretty clear, and also a contradiction of what Howard said—unless, that is, his statement that “of course we are” making TES6 is akin to me saying that “of course I am” going to make some decisions this weekend that will reflect poorly on my judgment and claim to adulthood: That is, I haven't made them yet, but it's going to happen.

One thing they obviously agree on is that it'll be a very long time before we hear anything official about a new Elder Scrolls game. When asked if he could provide an estimate about when TES6 might be released, Hines replied, “Nope. Years and years.”

Thanks, GamesRadar.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.