Bethesda has put a name to the most anticipated game it hasn’t released: the next mainline Elder Scrolls is officially called The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. As VGC reports, the reveal came at the very end of a video titled Celebrating 40 Years of Bethesda Game Studios, and it shows a logo and nothing else.
Executive producer Todd Howard fronts the video, walking past a display case of the studio’s games as he talks about the teams behind them. He says he’s looking back at the studio’s history but also forward, “particularly with the Fallout franchise and obviously The Elder Scrolls.” Then he addresses the question that has followed Bethesda for years. “Everybody’s always asking about Elder Scrolls 6,” Howard says, adding that the anniversary was the perfect moment to say what it’s called. The logo follows.
Anyone hoping the logo signals a campaign is likely to be disappointed. In a separate tweet, Bethesda said “it’ll be some time before we’re ready to share more.” That fits what we’ve heard so far: Howard has given a development update before, an Xbox exec said the game “looks amazing” after a studio visit, and one report has pointed to 2028. None of that is a date from Bethesda, and the reveal adds none.
A name fans had already guessed
The title isn’t a surprise. VGC notes that numerous rumours and ‘leaks’ had pointed to Sentinel, and we’d covered a report that the title was set for reveal. Last week The Verge reported that the confirmation could come as early as this month, to mark the 15th anniversary of Skyrim rather than Bethesda’s 40th. The studio chose the earlier occasion. Fans had also spotted a Starfield easter egg that appeared to spell the subtitle, a theory the official logo now backs.
What Sentinel suggests about the setting
Bethesda hasn’t confirmed where the game takes place, but VGC says the name lends more credibility to reports that it’s set in Hammerfell. The province has appeared in The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, The Elder Scrolls Online and the 1998 PC action adventure The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard. It would also line up with a long-running fan theory that the game centres on Iliac Bay and Sentinel, a location in Hammerfell. The bay separates High Rock from Hammerfell.
That theory has a fan among industry veterans. Last month Bruce Nesmith, who was lead designer on Skyrim and a quest designer on Fallout 3, 4 and 76, said he hoped it was true. In his view, a setting around the bay could bring boats and water exploration to the series for the first time.
For now, the confirmed facts are short: a full title, a logo and a studio saying the wait continues. Bethesda has taken eight years to get from a teaser to a name, and it’s telling fans not to expect the next step soon.
When will The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel be released?
Bethesda hasn’t said. In a separate tweet it said it’ll be some time before it’s ready to share more, so we’d plan on a wait.
Is The Elder Scrolls 6 set in Hammerfell?
Bethesda hasn’t confirmed the setting. VGC says the Sentinel name adds credibility to reports and fan theories pointing to Hammerfell, which is where Sentinel sits.
