Bethesda Game Studios offers Elder Scroll 6 fans a chance to create their own NPC in the game

The video game publisher, Bethesda Softworks, tweeted on February 17 that gamers and fantasy fans would have an opportunity to work with the Bethesda Game Studios to create an NPC in the yet-to-be-released game, The Elder Scrolls 6. The publisher created a bid on the charity auction Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic for an opportunity to create a character alongside the Bethesda development team, currently priced at over $11,000. 

The silent auction description also highlighted the offer as a chance for fans to immortalize themselves in an anticipated video game and leave their mark on the franchise. Bethesda further described The Elder Scrolls series as a renowned game featuring open worlds, lore, and engaging storytelling. The game publisher still did not mention anything about the development progress or the release window for The Elder Scrolls 6.

The next game in the Elder Scrolls franchise was announced in 2018, nearly seven years ago. The game publisher gave gamers a heads-up that the game was still a long way from launch, confirming that Elder Scrolls 6 would launch after Starfield. Starfield was Bethesda’s first new world after over two decades. The game launched in the third quarter of 2023 and is available on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation. 

Xbox CEO says Elder Scrolls 6 is still over 5 years away

Asked about Elder Scrolls VI platforms: "It’s so far out it’s hard to understand what the platforms will even be…" … "We’re talking about a game that’s five-plus years away"

Spencer fuzzy on whether he previously made a public statement saying it'd be Xbox-only

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 23, 2023

Xbox CEO Phil Spencer mentioned in the 2023 legal battle between Microsoft and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) that Elder Scrolls 6 was at least 5 years from launch, placing the earliest release window in 2028. Spencer answered after being questioned about Microsoft’s exclusivity on Bethesda-developed games, including Starfield. The Xbox boss explained that stating the platforms the game would launch on would be hard to say, considering it was still far out. 

The legal battle, as per Metro UK’s report, revealed emails that suggested that Microsoft planned to make Bethesda productions Xbox-exclusive, including Starfield. The emails also allegedly revealed that Spencer had decided to make Fallout 5 and Elder Scrolls 6 Xbox exclusive in 2021 after Microsoft purchased Bethesda. The emails, supposedly from the Xbox marketing head, Pete Hines, also outlined that the decision was forced upon the publisher by the technology conglomerate. 

The FTC argued during the legal battle that Microsoft would also ensure that all Activision Blizzard titles became Xbox exclusive, citing the decision regarding Bethesda as proof. Microsoft had made a deal to purchase Activision for $69 billion. The claims still opposed Microsoft’s statement that Activsion’s Call of Duty would remain multi-platform even after the conglomerate’s purchase of the game development company.

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella further stated during the legal hearings that Microsoft was against console-exclusive games. Nadella insisted that Sony and PlayStation were the companies that had a history of console-exclusive games. 

Bethesda reveals Elder Scrolls 6 earlier to appease gamers

The lead of Bethesda’s Skyrim, Bruce Nesmith, revealed in an interview on the MinnMax game channel on YouTube that Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls 6 announcement in 2018 was to calm down the angry gamers’ mob. Nesmith also stated that the video game publisher had received significant backlash for the lack of news concerning the Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim successor. 

The Skyrim lead designer further touted Bethesda’s Todd Horward’s belief that early game announcements spoiled the development process. Howard believed that game publishers should wait approximately six months before a release to begin making announcements. 

Nesmith hinted that the studio employed a similar strategy before the release of Fallout 4. The interview also revealed Nesmith’s belief that Bethesda would not announce any updates concerning Elder Scrolls 6 until the final 6 months before the game’s release.

Howard also discussed the Elder Scrolls 6 announcement in a 2018 GQ interview, mentioning that he possibly regretted the way he handled it. The Bethesda executive also said that he would have considered a more casual approach. 

A Reddit thread has suggested that gamers are now losing anticipation for the game since the premature announcement. Some Redditors insisted that Bethesda was stuck in the past, citing issues with design and outdated features. Others suggested that Skyrim could have boosted the enthusiasm around Bethesda titles for a moment.

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