When you think Skyrim‘s world is expansive enough, Bethesda teases yet another surprise for Elder Scrolls 6. The newest installment in the hit Elder Scrolls franchise is rumored to be set in Valenwood. It seems the hit developers have confirmed working on the game, and even tease a mobile iteration.
The first confirmation about Elder Scrolls 6 stemmed from a “memo” from Bethesda way back in 2014. Although it did not mention anything about Valenwood, it did have a “code” for the game, as well as Fallout 4‘s Nuka World DLC. The other code word is Project Greenheart which, surprisingly enough, exists inside Valenwood.
Development rumors
However, the scope of Elder Scrolls 6 may still be far-off. The expansive franchise is set in the large world of Tamriel. Daggerfall in 1996 took the High Rock and Hammerfell regions, while Morrowind took Vvardenfell in 2002.
The recent games, Oblivion and Skyrim, were set in the continents of Cyrodil and Skyrim, respectively. All of these continents and regions are very expansive in their own right. They even have a variety of special creatures, people, and races that inhabit them.
According to Digital Spy, looking at any map of Tamriel, this means only Valenwood, Elswyr and Argonia are places left to be explored. Argonia is the best bet for players, although substance for this rumor is lacking. This is the home of the Argonians, the lizard-like folk in Tamriel.
Valenwood and Redwood are also rumored to be the next continent to be explored. Both regions are populated by different varieties of elves in the series.
As much as development is an issue, Elder Scrolls 6 seems to be similar to Fallout 4.
According to iTechPost, The game is most likely to have Guild Management and Settlement feature. Like in Fallout 4, the expansive universe of the Elder Scrolls franchise means there is much to explore in Elder Scrolls 6. Fans and players agree that being able to build settlements will make the experience more immersive.
When is it coming?
The closest thing players got to a Skyrim sequel is Elder Scrolls Online. Despite the game’s potential as an MMO, is not-so-stellar reception almost made it unnoticeable to hardcore fans. However, there are rumors that Bethesda is scouting for Quest Designers. They are even looking for people with “Experience with The Elder Scrolls Construction Set.” This means that the possibility of a game soon isn’t that far off.
Other rumors also say the game will have VR capabilities. Bethesda has already mentioned plans about making their games VR-compatible. However, the company did not directly reference to Elder Scrolls 6 as its first test.
Another possibility is the game being released with a mobile version. Although the most recent rumor is releasing an Elder Scrolls game in the PlayStation Portable (which did not work). This means making a mobile version – at least an online one – may be feasible.
Sadly, Bethesda’s Pete Hines definitely bust down rumors about early development in the game last June. However, he did affirm that the game will make its way eventually.
@HotShame0 we aren’t working on TES6 at the moment
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) June 25, 2016
@PCGamesN thx. fyi, the elder scrolls vi isn’t in development. we simply said we would make it eventually. don’t want people to be misled
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) August 9, 2016
However, Bethesda warned players that developing something as expansive as Elder Scrolls 6 will take an ample amount of time. They did say they have a rough idea of the game’s scope. They also have to make sure the technology is available to accomplish this. Given that the people in Bethesda have already made four Games of the Year, it’s up to them which path to take next.
Regardless, players can still cling on to Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition that will be released later this year. The dragon-inspired game will now be supporting mods for the PlayStation 4 as well. This is good news for console fans.
Bethesda will also need to work on some bugs for Fallout 4 and its DLCs. This means there might be a bit of time before they work on another blockbuster open-world game.
