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Few pieces of media have had as profound an impact on my life as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. It opened my eyes to everything video games could be. It ignited a passion that led me to my job at Shacknews. It\u2019s the bar that I judge every open-world game by. I\u2019ve been waiting 15 years for its sequel, and at this point, I\u2019m content with the fact that I\u2019ll probably have to wait several more.<\/p>\n
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Bethesda Game Studios provided a rare update on The Elder Scrolls 6\u2019s development in a message penned by the legendary Todd Howard. In it, he described the game as the studio\u2019s \u201cprimary development focus,\u201d and that the team is happy with how it\u2019s coming along. That\u2019s all genuinely good to hear! But when I finished reading the statement and realized there was once again no meaningful update on when the game could potentially release, or when we\u2019d even get to see it, I felt an emotion that I hardly feel wash over me: Apathy.<\/p>\n
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Six years ago, I would cross my fingers with hopes of a new trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6, or screenshots of the region accompanied by a \u201ccoming soon\u201d graphic. Anything that made us feel closer to a game that felt impossible. I was disappointed every time an Xbox showcase came and went without any mention of the Skyrim sequel.<\/p>\n
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Source: Bethesda Softworks
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But now, I\u2019ve mostly lost that fire. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019ll still be there on day one (if I\u2019m alive) with an ear-to-ear grin, but I\u2019ve adopted a \u201cwhatever, I\u2019ll see it when I see it\u201d attitude.<\/p>\n
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The modern cycle of game development has made it hard to get overly excited about anything that isn\u2019t releasing imminently. Whereas these tentpole franchises used to go no more than four to five years without a new installment, that gap has doubled or tripled for some of gaming\u2019s most prestigious IPs. It makes it really hard to sustain a fanbase. As games continue to widen in scope and development cycles continue to drag on, I wonder if this will begin to materially impact games in a negative way. The Elder Scrolls 6 will probably release three whole console cycles after its predecessor. PlayStation is poised to go an entire console generation without a proper new video game from its flagship studio, Naughty Dog. It\u2019s safe to say we\u2019ll probably never see two Grand Theft Auto games released in the same decade again.<\/p>\n
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Source: Bethesda Softworks
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I\u2019m not mad at Bethesda. I love that studio. As a Maryland native, I\u2019ll never forget looking at the back of my Skyrim case and finding out that the game was designed in the state I live in. I\u2019m not mad that they took multiple detours in the years following Skyrim\u2019s release. I thought the decision to dedicate so much time and resources to creating Starfield and fulfilling a longtime vision of the studio was genuinely admirable.<\/p>\n
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Today\u2019s wait acknowledged how long fans have been waiting for The Elder Scrolls 6. I hope the developers take all of the time they need to make it. Still, it\u2019s hard to ignore the feelings of apathy every time the title is uttered with no significant news or information.<\/p>\n
Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.<\/p>\n
Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom’s desktop during weekends. Pok\u00e9mon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t