E3 2021 is right around the corner, and there are still several games and companies whose participation remains unconfirmed at this stage. Such is the case for a game that's easily one of the most anticipated ones in its genre, and that is The Elder Scrolls 6 from Bethesda. The Elder Scrolls 6 is not the only big unknown factor for this year's online E3, though, as there are plenty of other games that were either confirmed not to be featured or others whose fate is currently still a mystery, including titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Elden Ring, to name a few.
The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced by Bethesda over 1,000 days ago, back during the E3 of 2018, alongside the company's brand-new IP, Starfield. While neither the teaser trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6 nor Starfield were very revealing, the former showed a landscape view that fans of the series associated with Hammerfell, but to this day this remains speculation due to the lack of official details. Furthermore, Starfield was confirmed to release before the next installment in The Elder Scrolls saga, and the hopes for Elder Scrolls 6 to be featured at this year's E3 are slimmer by the day.
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While there is no official confirmation as of yet that Starfield will be part of Bethesda's and Microsoft's showcase this June at E3, an image showing a few elements from upcoming Xbox titles was released along with the announcement of Bethesda's participation. This picture has a stretched version of the planet shown in Starfield's teaser trailer in its bottom left corner, which has made many fans jump to the conclusion that the new space exploration sci-fi RPG will indeed be involved. This does seem very likely, though, and especially so after all the rumors that have been circulating for a while now regarding Starfield's presence at E3 and a possible release window or even a set release date for it.
Jeff Grubb, one of the most renowned video game insiders in the industry, had initially commented on Starfield's plausible release window to be in late 2021, but he has now confirmed that the game will not come earlier than 2022. He also stated that it is very credible at this point that Starfield will be featured at E3, which another famed insider by the name of Jason Schreier confirmed, adding that during the conference Bethesda's new game will have a set release date for late 2022. What does this all say about The Elder Scrolls 6 and Bethesda's plans for the game, though?
Considering that Starfield was given the green light before The Elder Scrolls 6 for an upcoming release, and considering that Bethesda is not known to be a developer studio that churns out content at an incredibly fast pace, the next Elder Scrolls title may come in 2023, if not later. This is assuming that Starfield is not having an impact on The Elder Scrolls 6's production and development phase, which is very probably to be the case because of how massive this new project is rumored to be. This is just one of the reasons why the likelihood of The Elder Scrolls being at E3 is slim, as the studio is presumably very busy with working on Starfield and its presentation.
Furthermore, presenting games at conferences is not an easy feat, and it takes valuable development time to have assets ready, footage to show, and an adamant certainty to be able to deliver the product within its specific release window. Presentations are a commitment not to take lightly, and this makes all the more believable that Starfield will be featured at E3, while The Elder Scrolls 6 will not because Bethesda's current focus is the former rather than the latter. But when would fans be able to get to know anything about the new Elder Scrolls title if not at this year's E3? The answer is a complex one because of many factors involved, including the current state of the game.
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Because very little is known about Starfield, and because basically nothing is known on The Elder Scrolls 6, it seems like Bethesda is playing it safe with how much it reveals. It isn't even explicitly confirmed that Starfield will be featured at the E3, let alone when news will drop on The Elder Scrolls 6, instead. This means that there are a few options here, one of which is to not have The Elder Scrolls 6 showcased during the E3 presentation held by Xbox and Microsoft, and this, unfortunately, seems to be the most solid alternative.
However, because Bethesda announced a few surprises to be expected during this showcase, it is not impossible that The Elder Scrolls 6 will receive a small update in the form of a slightly longer teaser trailer, or a few official details. One of such specifics could involve the game's setting, which would allow long-time players and fans to finally have something concrete to talk and speculate about for at least a year or so before yet another reveal from Bethesda. This would break the silence on The Elder Scrolls 6, showing the company is not setting its projects aside, regardless of Starfield's current priority over the rest.
If Starfield does get some footage and a release date in just under two weeks, then there is a good chance that The Elder Scrolls 6 will instead be at next year's E3. This remains to be seen, of course, and the strongest possibility is still that The Elder Scrolls 6 will not see the light of day for yet another little while, thus players shouldn't expect anything, at this point.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
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