In a new interview with Kinda Funny Games, Bethesda creative director Todd Howard explained that The Elder Scrolls 6 is a return to the kind of games the studio is known for and will be powered by a new version of Bethesda’s Creation Engine.
In the February 18 interview livestream, Howard admitted to host Greg Miller that Starfield and Fallout 76 were departures from the open-world RPGs fans “expect” from them. And with Elder Scrolls 6, it sounds like they are going back to that “classic” style.
“In many ways, Fallout 76 and Starfield are a little bit of a creative detour from kind of that classic Elder Scrolls, Fallout, where you are exploring a world in a certain way,” said Howard.
“As we come back to Elder Scrolls 6 that we are doing now, we are coming back to that classic style that we’ve missed, that we know really, really well.”
“We have a style of game we really, really like, that people expect from us, and there is a lot of innovation to be done there still, so when you step into a world you feel like you are experiencing it for the first time,” said Howard.
“We’re happy with where [Elder Scrolls 6] is headed right now.”
Howard also told Miller that the studio has been working hard on updating its internal engine, which has powered its past games, to help it do more with Elder Scrolls 6 and future games.
“We’ve spent the last several years bringing Creation Engine 2, which powers Starfield, up to Creation Engine 3, which is going to power Elder Scrolls 6 and beyond.”
As for when to expect Elder Scrolls 6, which was announced over six years ago, Howard was cagey as expected, saying that while the team was close to passing a “big milestone” and development was going well, it is “going to be a while yet” before the RPG is finished.
