The Elder Scrolls 6 unlikely to appear at The Game Awards, with release date possibly years away

After The Game Awards host shared an elaborate statue on social media, insiders have dismissed guesses about its significance. Jez Corden of Windows Central anticipated the fiendish artwork to accompany a Diablo 4 expansion. Meanwhile, Bethesda followers speculated that The Elder Scrolls 6 was a possibility. Unfortunately, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has revealed that neither game will appear during the broadcast.

Schreier, who may know precisely what the statue is for, felt compelled to set the record straight. On the ResetEra forums, he said, “I'll do this one more time because people are getting out of control: no the statue isn't teasing Elder Scrolls 6. Now I'm gonna stop responding about this.”

In reality, game director Todd Howard’s action RPG was always a long shot to resurface at The Game Awards. During the Activision Blizzard legal challenge in 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the release was at least five years away. Even though it was announced at E3 2018, there have been only limited signs of progress since. Starfield can take some of the blame, since Bethesda shifted its focus to the space epic.

How far along is The Elder Scrolls 6?

The studio has clearly put work into the game, with Howard recently confirming that a playable build exists. Unfortunately, he also told GQ that its arrival was “still a long way off”. The Bethesda legend suggested that the game might materialize without warning, following the example of Oblivion Remastered. A potential shadow drop is one reason why fans monitor The Game Awards and other events for news.

In the tradition of Skryim, The Elder Scrolls 6 release date will likely introduce an expansive open world. If the new game’s setting is even more massive in scope, that may explain the slow pace of development. At the same time, as with GTA 6, it raises expectations for endless exploration.

At this point, gamers are running out of ideas as to what Geoff Keighley was hinting at. God of War has been another popular prediction. Sadly, Santa Monica Studios' creative director Cory Barlog poured cold water on the idea.