If we have to wait before we have new official information on The Elder Scrolls 6, the question of Xbox Series exclusivity is back on the carpet.
More than five years after its announcement, The Elder Scrolls 6 is still very mysterious. Bethesda, too busy with Starfield, hasn’t communicated about the next numbered installment of its flagship franchise since. It is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated games of the next few years and beyond of the countries where it will take us a constant question on everyone’s lips: exclusivity of the Xbox series. Against all odds, all hope may not be lost for PS5 players.
Microsoft exclusives will be back-to-back this year. Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, Starfield, Forza Motorsport and Hellblade 2 are all planned for 2023. Any titles released after the Bethesda acquisition (barring previous commercial deals) will be reserved for Xbox players on the console side. However, Phil Spencer had left a microscopic glimmer of hope: The exclusivity of future Bethesda games will be judged on a case-by-case basis. What about The Elder Scrolls 6? Since these statements, it had been assumed that the next big RPG would also only appear on the Xbox series. Nevertheless, a start on PS5 could still be possible.
As Axios reporter Stephen Totilo noted, a Microsoft representative said last December that three upcoming Bethesda/Zenimax games would be exclusive to Xbox and PC. Back then, everything pointed to Redfall, Starfield, and the famous The Elder Scrolls 6. However, it seems that the third production mentioned was none other than Hi-Fi Rush, the game by Tango Gameworks that was released during the last conference and that was a real hit on Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft still has years to decide
Last week, another rep narrowed the list down to just two exclusive games, rumored to be September’s Space RPG and Arkane Multiplayer. So it seems that The Elder Scrolls 6 could be released on PS5 after all, although it remains pure speculation at this point. Microsoft did not want to comment on the subject and will certainly not clarify this point for many years to come. Exclusivity or not, the Redmond company’s plans actually have time to change by then. For the record, The Elder Scrolls 6 won’t be out for a few more years.
At this point, all we know is that the game will be “mid-size” and that production will actually begin once Starfield launches. The publisher has already expressed its desire to create a title that players will play for decades. Given Skyrim’s sales figures on all other platforms, it’s likely that Microsoft wants to surf the multi-machine fan base. We’ll likely know more after the release of Starfield, and maybe even the result of the Activision-Blizzard acquisition, which is definitely not done spilling much ink just yet.