Bethesda has announced that it will not be showcasing or revealing additional details for either The Elder Scrolls VI or Starfield during E3 2019. Both games were announced and given tiny teasers during E3 2018, alongside more detailed reveals for Fallout 76 and Rage 2.
“That’s just a little sneak peek at the technology that we’ve been building,” Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard said during a PAX East panel, in regards to further details about a new game engine. “People are going to see [the tech] at first, actually, in Starfield. And so that tech will have like the second version of it in TES6, and–before everyone asks–please be patient. It’s going to be a long time. It’s not something we’re going to be talking about at E3–either of those games–this year. And so patience, please. But given the [Elder Scrolls] anniversary, we did want to give everybody a taste.”
It’s not that much of a surprise to hear that neither game will be shown at this year’s E3, given that their showings from last year’s event implied both titles are still in the early stages of development. Howard has said he already knows the release dates for both games, but he’s “not going to tell” as it “would be foolish to say it.”
During PAX Australia 2018, Bethesda marketing boss Pete Hines and ZeniMax Online Studios game director Matt Firor said The Elder Scrolls VI is still a long way off, most likely releasing on the next generation of console hardware. Howard said something similar about Starfield during last year’s E3, but clarified, “I can’t absolutely say yes to [leaving current generation consoles behind]. We’re not going to limit the game that way yet. I’m willing to [leave current generation consoles behind] but it’s not a priority right now. I’d put it that way.”
Next to nothing is known about Starfield, other than it’s the first new IP Bethesda has announced in 25 years. The first and only trailer for the game showcases a planet outlined by a distant sun, only for the camera to pan down and focus on a small space station which is seemingly sucked into some sort of black hole.
Even less is known about The Elder Scrolls VI. According to its trailer, the game takes place in a mountainous region. There are some trees and patches of fog. That’s about it. Even with so little information, though, fans are still theorizing and trying to piece together The Elder Scrolls VI’s setting.
In the meantime, Bethesda has plenty of other games to occupy players as they wait. Fallout 76 has already received the first of three major expansions, and the other two are scheduled for later this year. The Elder Scrolls: Blades has technically released as well. Also, Rage 2, Doom Eternal, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood (all published by Bethesda) are all scheduled to release in 2019–the latter of which comes with a pretty cool incentive to upgrade to the Deluxe Edition.
