The Elder Scrolls VI: What We Want At E3 2021

The Elder Scrolls VI is a hugely anticipated game that also happens to be shrouded in complete mystery. Part of that is intentional, as Bethesda Game Studios isn't known to reveal too much about its games until they're nearing launch. However, we've heard almost nothing about it since we got a very brief teaser for the game a few years ago, and players no longer interested in playing Skyrim for the 123rd time need something new at E3 2021. Here's what we hope to see from The Elder Scrolls VI at E3 2021, should it make an appearance.

What We Know So Far

When The Elder Scrolls VI was announced at E3 2018, Bethesda's Todd Howard made it clear that this will not be the next game his team releases. Instead, that will be Starfield, with The Elder Scrolls VI coming afterward. We somehow know just as little about Starfield right now, and it's unclear when that game will release, meaning we'll likely be waiting a few more years at minimum before we play The Elder Scrolls VI.

We don't know for sure if The Elder Scrolls VI will release on competing consoles, but because Bethesda is part of the Xbox Game Studios family, it will be released on Xbox Game Pass at launch for Xbox and PC users. Director Todd Howard also says that it, along with Starfield, will use a massively overhauled engine. It's unclear if this will be based on the aging Creation engine, which Bethesda has been using for years.

Howard is also serving as executive producer on MachineGames' upcoming Indiana Jones game, but this will not affect The Elder Scrolls VI. Bethesda's marketing chief Pete Hines said Howard's focus remains on Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI.

We also know one person whose likeness will be in the game: Shirley Curry. Known as "Grandma Shirley" on YouTube, Curry is 85 years old and a massive Bethesda fan, and her worry that she wouldn't be around to actually play The Elder Scrolls VI led to her being immortalized as a character in the game.

For a more detailed look at what we know about the game, check out everything we know feature for The Elder Scrolls 6.

What's Confirmed For E3 2021?

Well… nothing. Starfield appears to be coming to E3 2021 in some form, at least according to Microsoft's teaser image, but The Elder Scrolls VI is a complete question mark. Given that Starfield is out first, we aren't holding our breath for any sort of appearance, but that doesn't mean we won't hope for one. It's also the first year that Bethesda's announcements are coming in a joint conference with Xbox, as the acquisition was made after E3 2020. There could be a teaser to at least emphasize its Game Pass inclusion or Xbox console exclusivity--assuming the latter is a route Microsoft wants to take. It would certainly help to attract would-be Xbox Series X owners who haven't made up their minds yet.

What We Hope To See At E3 2021

While it may seem like a pipe dream for any of this to happen, that's why it's what we hope to see and not what we expect to see.

The teaser video from E3 2018 featured a quick look at some rolling hills and an open field. It's not clear if this is actually indicative of The Elder Scrolls VI's setting, but an announcement regarding this would be huge for fans--provided that the region is somewhere we haven't been before. With so much focus on memorable places like Morrowind and Skyrim in The Elder Scrolls Online recently, Bethesda can't rely on nostalgia for the next mainline entry.

Along with the setting, we hope to see some sort of trailer--even a pre-rendered trailer--that sets the tone for the game and how it is the next true evolution of The Elder Scrolls. What will separate this game from Avowed, developed by former Bethesda partner (and current Microsoft sister studio) Obsidian? And what is the full name? We all know there's always something after the Roman numeral.

This one is going to sound sacrilegious to some--that's for sure--but cooperative play in The Elder Scrolls VI would be huge. We're not talking about a whole army of friends playing together online, but having a real person as an optional replacement for an AI companion would be wonderful. Announcing a feature like this at E3 2021, even if the game is years away, would definitely get players talking.