Todd Howard: People Will Be Playing The Elder Scrolls VI for a Decade

Bethesda's director and executive producer Todd Howard says the devs approach the sixth Elder Scroll game in a way so that people could play it for "a decade, two decades" after its release.

During the latest Lex Fridman's podcast, Bethesda's Todd Howard spoke about The Elder Scrolls VI and the team's approach to creating the game.

The Elder Scrolls VI was first announced back in 2018 with a short teaser trailer, however, apart from it, the devs haven't shown anything ever since.

When asked whether he already knows when the next The Elder Scrolls is coming out, Howard just replied that he now only has a "vague idea" adding that he wishes it was soon. He explained that the development is taking a lot of time and he regrets a little that he did not start working on The Elder Scrolls VI earlier. The developer jokingly added that if he could go back in time, he would definitely not put off the sixth part for so long.

Speaking of why the development is taking so much time, Howard emphasized that the studio wants to make sure that they "do it right." He also added that creating the best gaming possible is especially crucial for The Elder Scrolls titles as people will play those games for years.

Howard noted that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still Bethesda's most popular game even 11 years after its release. So, during the development of the sixth game, the devs take into account such longevity and think about how they can create a game that people will return to for 10-20 years after the release.

"People are playing games for a long time, you know. Skyrim is 11 years old – still probably our most-played game, and so we don't see it slowing down. And people will probably be playing it 10 years from now also," he said. "So you have to think about 'Okay, people are gonna play the next Elder Scrolls game for a decade, two decades... And that does change the way you think about how you architect it from the get-go."

Howard explained that by longevity, he doesn't only mean continued support by mods and the fan community – which he really appreciates though – but also a large amount of content in the original version without any mods. According to the developer, the “vanilla” version of Skyrim without mods can still surprise players and present something new even 11 years after the release.

In the same podcast, Howard also confirmed Starfield's exclusivity for PC and Xbox and shared his thoughts on what it means for the studio to focus on one platform. You can learn more about it here.

Watch the full interview with Todd Howard here and don't forget to join our Reddit page and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more. 

Join discussion

Comments 11

  • Anonymous user

    Anon, chill, you'll still play it, stop acting as if Sony and Nintendo don't do the exact same. Lmfao

    And of course they will, people still play Skyrim, so assuming they don't screw with the mod stuff, people will play it until TES7 comes out.

    2

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    With the speed of AI bots taking over, AI developers will soon be making these games over a weekend O.o and then they use the money to fund their world dimidiation victory by usurping in an AI Pope.

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Well when you wait three decades to release a new game in the series of course people will play the latest iteration you daft, pompous, spineless Jelly of a man.

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Not even exaggerating when I say this is the lamest fucking comment section I've ever seen on the internet.

    1

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Skyrim is broken as well as fallout 4 etc Bethesda needs to fix the games so they don't crash, lag or freeze up or glitch constantly,I've played both PC version and console versions and STILL those games never worked well for me crashed every 5 seconds of playing them

    -1

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Todd Howard might be a liar but he certainly isn't wrong in this statement. Skyrim is insanely popular even 11 years after release, and I wouldn't be surprised if it remains a popular game long after Elder Scrolls 6 is released even if SE6 is a great game too. That idea of thinking about how to make a game with replay value on the level of skyrim is the kind of mindset I want Todd to have here since it's probably the only way to surpass skyrim's popularity.

    0

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Elder Scrolls has always looked like a last gen game, what's your point? Lmao, just a bunch of salty ponies crying they won't be able to play it.

    Hey, at least you can play CoD for 10 more years lmfao

    -1

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Like hell. Many people made it clear they aren't buying an Xbox just to play your buggy game. You killed off a lot of your fan's dedication. Bethesda is officially dead to me with this shady Xbox exclusive crap

    -3

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    Unlike the previous negative comments, my wife and I loved Skyrim and I love eso. We've never had problems apart from the beloved in-game Skyrim glitches. Fond memories of being launched into the heavens by a giant's club.
    Looking forward to many more years of Elder Scrolls.

    1

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·
  • Anonymous user

    I'm practically giddy at the idea of being able to shove this quote back at Tom fuckface Howard when ES6 is released and is an old looking pile of crap. Bethesda can't release anything that isn't a broken pos. Their engine sucks and TH is a known unabashed LIAR, so screw that guy.

    -3

    Anonymous user

    ·a year ago·

You might also like

We need your consent

We use cookies on this website to make your browsing experience better. By using the site you agree to our use of cookies.Learn more