Elder Scrolls 6 Fans Use Character Creation Contest to Guess Release Date

Fans of The Elder Scrolls 6, much like those eagerly awaiting Grand Theft Auto 6, are often left hungry for any scraps of information about their beloved upcoming game. With little more than an official character creation competition to chew on, it's no wonder that the community has plunged into fervent speculation about the game's release date.

This week, Bethesda unveiled its latest collaboration with Make-A-Wish, offering fans the chance to bid on creating a character that will appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda's commitment to the cause was clear: "For the last several years, we have been lucky enough to work with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes, support some of their local events, and provide items and experiences, all to benefit children who are fighting life-threatening illnesses," the company stated. "This year, for their Silent Auction, we are giving one winner the opportunity to work with Bethesda Game Studios to create a character to appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. All of the money made from the auction goes directly to Make-A-Wish."

While this initiative is commendable, it's also fueling speculation among The Elder Scrolls 6 enthusiasts. Fans are drawing parallels with a similar Make-A-Wish project for Starfield, attempting to gauge the development stage of The Elder Scrolls 6 and predict its release date.

A Reddit user, aptly named 'FartingSlowly', noted that Bethesda's Starfield character creation announcement came two-and-a-half years before the game's release in September 2023. Applying this timeline to The Elder Scrolls 6, they speculated a release date of September 27, 2027. However, FartingSlowly was quick to temper expectations: "This is not a good indicator or metric for release by any standards," they admitted. "Do not take this too seriously. But. It is finally something. It isn't just a piece of junk speculation based on nothing, it's based on something from Bethesda themselves. Yeah, it's not something to actually care about but it is a refreshing change in the world of speculation."

The community's response has been mixed, with some questioning the validity of this prediction. Others have pointed out that Starfield's Make-A-Wish competition was announced when the game was initially slated for a November 11, 2022 release, suggesting a potential November 2026 release for The Elder Scrolls 6.

It's been a long wait since Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 back on June 10, 2018. By January of this year, the announcement was as old as Skyrim was when The Elder Scrolls 6 was first revealed. The studio confirmed in August 2023 that The Elder Scrolls 6 had entered "early development," and by March 2024, "early builds" were available. The six-year anniversary of the announcement passed in June last year, prompting even Bethesda development chief Todd Howard to remark, "oh wow, that has been a while."

The earliest speculated release for The Elder Scrolls 6 is 2028, likely on the next generation of consoles as well as PC. If it launches then, it will be an astonishing 17 years after Skyrim. As we continue to wait for more concrete details, you can explore Everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6.