Gaming, Lifestyle, Xbox

The Elder Scrolls 6 confirmed exclusive to Xbox

Luis Monzon

19th September 2023

The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive confirms Xbox chief Phil Spencer in court documents from the Microsoft FTC case.
A sequel to 2011’s megahit Skyrim, the next Elder Scrolls will only release on Xbox and PC and skip Sony consoles.
The game is still in production, with the earliest date for release set at 2026.

New information has been revealed about where the next game in the Elder Scrolls series stands when it comes to platforms. Debates have raged online for some time between Xbox and PlayStation diehards about where the highly anticipated RPG will land after Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft together with parent company ZeniMax Media in 2020.

According to documents of Microsoft’s response in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case against Microsoft over the Activision Blizzard purchase – expected to be the largest such acquisition in history – the Elder Scrolls 6 will not launch on PlayStation consoles.

This means that it will be the second Bethesda game since The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion not to see a Sony system, as Starfield also skipped PlayStation when it launched earlier this month. Before Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was the last Xbox exclusive that Bethesda released, which launched on the original Xbox.

From Microsoft's responses in the FTC vs Microsoft case. Elder Scrolls VI listed here as Xbox and PC and releasing 2026 or later.

During testimony at the hearing, Xbox's Phil Spencer went on to say the game was at least five years out and platforms were technically TBD pic.twitter.com/Kto9bE5U8C
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) September 18, 2023

According to testimony from Xbox head Phil Spencer, The Elder Scrolls 6 will be in development for another five years with a “2026 or later” release date scheduled. The game itself was announced five years ago when fans were told that it was in pre-production. In the meanwhile Bethesda Game Studios was hard at work with Starfield.

Now that Starfield is out, it seems Bethesda could switch to hands-on development of the next Elder Scrolls, which will not feature cross-platform play and only be release on Xbox consoles and PC. Starfield’s sales are still going strong and is currently the number 1 selling game in Europe sans Xbox Game Pass.

But when it comes to money movers, The Elder Scrolls is the company’s cash cow. Skyrim has sold over 60 million copies across all platforms, making it the seventh best-selling game of all time. No doubt its sequel will see even bigger sales and more interest generated for Xbox Game Pass.