The Elder Scrolls 6 might have been announced a little early, and its director wants it to be the "ultimate fantasy-world simulator."
In a new interview with GQ, The Elder Scrolls 6 game director Todd Howard was asked whether he regretted revealing the new game when he did. As of earlier this year in June, The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced five whole years ago, and we've still seen or heard nothing of the game since it was first revealed.
"I have asked myself that a lot," Howard admitted, when quizzed on the topic. "I don’t know. I probably would’ve announced it more casually," the director continued. How anyone would announce a hotly anticipated new game like The Elder Scrolls 6 "casually" is anyone's guess, but perhaps Howard has something in particular in mind.
When asked about whether there was anything he wanted to achieve with The Elder Scrolls sequel in particular, Howard was hesitant about giving a straightforward answer. "I will say that we want it to fill that role of the ultimate fantasy-world simulator. And there are different ways to accomplish that given the time that has passed," Howard said.
It's a little difficult to tell what Howard means by this last line. He could well be referring to new forms of technology, which his latest game, Starfield, is employing through methods of a brand new character animation system, for example, distinct from Bethesda games of the past like Skyrim and Fallout 4.
On the other hand, Howard could be referring to new game design trends. Genre-defining games have entered the RPG and open world space in the years since Skyrim was released in 2011, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, for one, a game that by itself has inspired an entire new philosophy of game design with aspects like its world and art style.
Starfield is finally out early next month on September 6. You can play earlier than that on September 1 though, provided you're willing to shell out for Starfield early access.
The Elder Scrolls 6 could be Howard's final game, and the Bethesda Game Studios veteran said as much earlier this year.
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