Development of next-gen Elder Scrolls under way?

It looks as though another high-profile developer has publicly joined the expanding roster of next-generation developers today. Bethesda Softworks, makers of the award-winning Elder Scrolls series of role-playing games, circulated an e-mail asking for new members for a "team that is pushing the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and future-generation consoles."

Specifically, Bethesda is hiring for three positions --two game programmers and a world artist--in or near its Maryland headquarters. Besides asking for the usual skills associated with such positions, two of the three positions also mention that "knowledge of Role Playing games and The Elder Scrolls [is] a plus."

But while the listings offer some tantalizing clues, a next-gen Elder Scrolls has still not been officially announced. "We aren't saying what product these listings are for or being more specific on what consoles the game will be released on," said a Bethesda representative. To date, the only Elder Scrolls game to be released on a console was The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for the Xbox. As to the references to the Elder Scrolls in the listings, the representative brushed their significance off. "Obviously, we like candidates who understand RPGs and are familiar with the games we've made in the past," he said.