Elder Scrolls 6 Fans Use Character Contest to Predict Release Date

Fans of The Elder Scrolls 6 are in a similar boat to those eagerly awaiting Grand Theft Auto 6, with scant official information leading to rampant speculation about the game's release date. This speculation has been fueled further by Bethesda's recent announcement of a character creation competition in collaboration with Make-A-Wish.

Bethesda revealed their latest Make-A-Wish project, offering fans a chance to bid on creating a character that will appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. The initiative is part of Bethesda's ongoing support for Make-A-Wish, aiming to benefit children fighting life-threatening illnesses. "For the last several years, we have been lucky enough to work with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes, support some of their local events, and provide items and experiences, all to benefit children who are fighting life-threatening illnesses," Bethesda stated. "This year, for their Silent Auction we are giving one winner the opportunity to work with Bethesda Game Studios to create a character to appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. All of the money made from the auction goes directly to Make-A-Wish."

While this is a commendable effort, for fans of The Elder Scrolls 6, it serves as a tantalizing clue about the game's development stage. The community has drawn parallels with a similar initiative for Starfield, leading to some bold predictions about The Elder Scrolls 6's potential release date.

A Reddit user named 'FartingSlowly' noted that Bethesda announced a similar character creation opportunity for Starfield two-and-a-half years before its release in September 2023. Based on this, 'FartingSlowly' speculated that The Elder Scrolls 6 might launch on September 27, 2027. However, the user acknowledged the speculative nature of this prediction: "This is not a good indicator or metric for release by any standards. Do not take this too seriously. But. It is finally something. It isn't just a piece of junk speculation based on nothing, it's based on something from Bethesda themselves. Yeah, it's not something to actually care about but it is a refreshing change in the world of speculation."

The community has met this speculation with skepticism. Some have suggested that, considering Starfield's initial release date was set for November 11, 2022, The Elder Scrolls 6 might actually be targeting a November 2026 release.

It's been an eternity since The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced on June 10, 2018. By January this year, that announcement was as old as Skyrim was at the time of The Elder Scrolls 6's reveal. Bethesda confirmed in August 2023 that The Elder Scrolls 6 had entered "early development," with "early builds" available by March 2024. Reflecting on the six-year anniversary of the announcement last June, even Bethesda's development chief Todd Howard remarked, "oh wow, that has been a while."

The earliest speculated release for The Elder Scrolls 6 is 2028, expected to be on next-generation consoles and PC. If it launches then, it will be an astonishing 17 years after Skyrim. As we continue to wait for more concrete information, you can explore Everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6.