Skyrim is 13 years old and we're still waiting for The Elder Scrolls 6

One of the most legendary RPGs of all time, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is now 13 years old. While Morrowind and Oblivion definitely made Bethesda a force to be reckoned with in the RPG space, Skyrim's 60 million sales catapulted the series into the mainstream. It's hard to overstate the legacy of Skyrim, which became the benchmark against which all RPGs were measured for many years.

13 years later, Skyrim remains incredibly popular. In fact, on Steam alone, Skyrim has three times the average number of players than Starfield, a testament to Skyrim's replayability (and vibrant modding community). Wandering through the valleys and mountain slopes of Tamriel's northernmost province is timeless in many ways. As they say, every time you play Skyrim, you discover something new.

Long wait

Skyrim was released 5 years after Oblivion, with development on the title accelerating after the release of Fallout 3 in 2008. Unfortunately, Skyrim will be at least a decade and a half old by the time the next installment in the series comes out. In 2018, Bethesda released a trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6, stating that the game was in “pre-production”. We've been told not to expect the game before 2026, but I wouldn't be surprised if that date moves even further.

The Elder Scrolls 6 will have nearly a decade of development before it hits digital stores. In contrast, Bethesda developed Arena, Daggerfall, Redguard, Battlespire and Oblivion in 12 years. Yes, the resources and time required to create triple-A games have grown exponentially, but still, the comparison is staggering. It also has the added effect of adding more anticipation to The Elder Scrolls 6, which will pay off over 15 years.

There are many reasons. In addition to games taking longer to produce than before, The Elder Scrolls 6 hasn't been in full production for very long. Since Skyrim, Bethesda delivers Fallout 4 and Starfield. The studio also created a new engine for Starfield, Creation Engine 2, a development-intensive process. Furthermore, the core team at Bethesda also doesn't like to outsource their IPs or split their teams, which is another reason for the relatively slow turnaround.

We can take solace in the fact that we still have Skyrim to look forward to. It's a game that has brought immense joy to countless players over the years and truly instilled in you a deep fear of giant spiders.

One of the all-time greats, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim redefined the concept of the Western RPG. With countless accolades and releases on almost every platform imaginable, you'll find yourself immersed in a colossal open world as a Dragonborn. You have to face your destiny and save the land from the menacing enemy.