In a recent interview with Esports Insider, former Bethesda lead artist Nate Purkeypile claimed that the studio announced The Elder Scrolls 6 early to prevent fan backlash over the long gap since Skyrim. He also noted that internal pressure to ensure the next game meets expectations played a role in this decision. “My assumption was always that we were announcing Starfield, and it had been so long already since Skyrim that we needed to make sure people were not just pissed at us. It’s a very expensive way to do that, though. Those trailers are not cheap,” Purkeypile said.
He also mentioned the pressure surrounding the Elder Scrolls VI development. “I would imagine that they will take a while to deliver it because there’s so much pressure behind that title, and I think it’s been proven with Starfield that they’re finally okay, actually delaying stuff. That was not really the case early on. On Skyrim, it was like, ‘It’s coming out on 11/11/11’ and we were like, what?! Oh boy, no pressure,” he continued. “I think there is less economic pressure to just get Elder Scrolls VI out on a date, but there is more economic pressure to actually make sure it’s good, and I think that’s a good thing. That’s healthy so long as they’re also honest with the team about that. That’s something that can happen where the team gets told here’s the date, we got to the date and psych! It’s later. And everybody knows that’s coming sometimes.”
In a GQ article back in November, The Elder Scrolls 6 director Todd Howard revealed that despite over seven years since its announcement, the game is “still a long way off.” “I’m preaching patience. I don’t want fans to feel anxious,” he said. “I like to just announce stuff and release it. My perfect version – and I’m not saying this is going to happen – is that it’s going to be a while and then, one day, the game will just appear.”
