Bethesda’s next RPG may finally get its full name next month. On 29 October, The Verge’s Tom Warren reported in his Notepad newsletter that sources familiar with Bethesda’s plans had told him the game will officially be called The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel. VGC relayed the report, and the original is in The Verge’s newsletter. Neither Xbox nor Bethesda has confirmed the title.
A November reveal, timed to Skyrim
Warren said the publisher could announce the name as soon as November, which would line up with Skyrim’s 15th anniversary on 11 November. That’s a tidy bit of timing for a studio that has said little about the sequel since it first appeared in a teaser in June 2018. Warren expects a name and nothing else, so don’t count on gameplay footage, platforms or a release date. For what Xbox has said about progress so far, see our post on an Xbox exec’s verdict after visiting Bethesda.
The subtitle is also less of a surprise than it sounds. In August, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma watched a live playthrough of the game and posted that “the story is even greater”, but she wrote the title as “The Elder Scrolls VI:” followed by a row of eight masked characters. Fans counted the eight characters and landed on Sentinel, a Redguard kingdom and port city in Hammerfell. We covered one of the more elaborate versions of that guess in our Starfield easter egg theory. Dexerto also reports that former Bethesda writer Michael Kirkbride replied “Yep” to a Reddit post floating the theory, though that isn’t an official confirmation.
Where it’s reportedly set
The report also names a setting, though VGC says it isn’t expected to be revealed alongside the title, so treat what follows as spoilers. Sentinel will reportedly take players to Hammerfell, the province previously explored in The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard and The Elder Scrolls Online. VGC adds that Hammerfell also featured in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. According to Dexerto’s reading of the report, Sentinel will be the first entry to dig into the history of the Elder Scrolls themselves, the mysterious ancient artifacts the series is named after.
If the setting holds, it matches long-running fan theories that the game centres on Iliac Bay and Sentinel City. Iliac Bay is the body of water between High Rock and Hammerfell.
That coastal setting has caught the attention of a Skyrim veteran. Last month, former Bethesda designer Bruce Nesmith, who was lead designer on Skyrim, said he hoped the theories were true. In his view, it could bring boats and water exploration to the series for the first time. He told GoHumanize that Iliac Bay “sets yourself up for a big expansion into seafaring stuff”. He also suggested skill trees, water-based spells and new creatures could follow. Those are his hopes as an outsider, not details from the report.
What we still don’t know
A name reveal won’t answer the questions most players are asking. There’s no release date, no confirmed platform list and no word on whether Bethesda will show the game at all. Earlier rumours pointed to a distant launch, with TES6 rumoured for 2028. Another report floated a shadow-drop release, and neither is confirmed. We’ll update this story if Bethesda confirms the name.
When will The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel be announced?
The Verge’s sources say the name could be announced as soon as November, possibly around Skyrim’s 15th anniversary on 11 November. Bethesda hasn’t confirmed a date, and the timing may change.
Is the Sentinel title official?
No. It comes from The Verge’s unnamed sources, and Bethesda hasn’t commented. The name matches what fans decoded from Asha Sharma’s August post.
Will we see gameplay or get a release date next month?
Probably not. Warren expects only the title to be revealed, and neither a release date nor platforms have been announced.
