Bethesda has confirmed the name of the next Elder Scrolls game. The sixth entry in the role-playing series will be called The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel, the studio announced in a video celebrating 40 years of Bethesda Game Studios.
Studio chief Todd Howard made the announcement in the video, which ran under ten minutes, and called it the "perfect time" to fully name the game. Bethesda is not sharing further details on The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel today: the Xbox Wire press release on the name is just a picture of the logo.
The confirmation comes more than eight years after Bethesda announced that a sixth Elder Scrolls game existed, and in a period that will mark 15 years since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released. The Verge reported last week that Bethesda planned to name the game in November.
Sentinel will be set in Hammerfell, a province in the Elder Scrolls universe that has appeared in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard and The Elder Scrolls Online. It will be the first game about the history of the Elder Scrolls and will help uncover the secrets of these mysterious ancient artifacts.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The Elder Scrolls is one of the best-selling role-playing franchises in games, and a title confirmation is the first concrete news about the sixth entry in years.
- Naming the game signals that Bethesda is moving the project out of the long silence that followed its initial announcement more than eight years ago.
- Fans now have a setting, Hammerfell, to anchor speculation, but no release window or gameplay has been given.
Background
The Elder Scrolls is Bethesda's long-running open-world fantasy role-playing series. The fifth main entry, Skyrim, was released in 2011 and has been reissued repeatedly since, while the sixth game was announced years later without a title. Hammerfell, the setting for Sentinel, has previously appeared in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard and in the online game.
Key Perspectives
Todd Howard: the studio chief called the fortieth anniversary the "perfect time" to fully name the game.
What to Watch
- Whether Bethesda follows the name with gameplay footage, a release window or a platform list, none of which was shared in the announcement.
- How the Hammerfell setting connects to Redguard and The Elder Scrolls Online, given the stated focus on the series' history.
- Any further detail from Bethesda Game Studios as its anniversary year continues.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedBethesda named the sixth Elder Scrolls game The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel.The Verge: “Bethesda is officially confirming today that the next Elder Scrolls game will be called The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel.”
- SupportedBethesda announced the title in a video celebrating 40 years of Bethesda Game Studios.The Verge: “The confirmation came in a less than 10-minute video celebrating 40 years of Bethesda game studios.”
- SupportedTodd Howard made the announcement in the video.The Verge: “studio chief Todd Howard made the announcement today”
- SupportedHoward called it the “perfect time” to fully name the game.The Verge: “studio chief Todd Howard made the announcement today and called it the “perfect time” to fully name the game.”
- SupportedThe video ran for less than 10 minutes.The Verge: “The confirmation came in a less than 10-minute video”
- SupportedBethesda was not sharing further details on the game that day, and the Xbox Wire press release was just a picture of the logo.The Verge: “Bethesda isn’t sharing any more details on The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel today, though. The Xbox Wire press release on the name is literally just a picture of the logo.”
- SupportedThe confirmation came more than eight years after Bethesda announced the sixth game existed.The Verge: “It’s been more than eight years since Bethesda officially announced the existence of the sixth game in its Elder Scrolls series”
- SupportedThe announcement came during a period that will mark 15 years since Skyrim was released.The Verge: “during a period that will mark 15 years since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released.”
- SupportedThe Verge reported the previous week that Bethesda planned to name the game in November.The Verge: “I reported in Notepad last week that Bethesda was planning to name the game in November”
- SupportedSentinel will be set in Hammerfell, which has appeared in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard and The Elder Scrolls Online.The Verge: “Sentinel will be set in Hammerfell, a province in the Elder Scrolls universe that’s appeared in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard and The Elder Scrolls Online.”
- SupportedSentinel will be the first game about the history of the Elder Scrolls and will help uncover the secrets of the mysterious ancient artifacts.The Verge: “Sentinel will be the first game about the history of the Elder Scrolls, and help uncover the secrets of these mysterious ancient artifacts.”
