Do you think we will see another Elder Scrolls

ADarklore · April 2016

I'm thinking that with development time, it will take roughly three or four YEARS to fully finalized ES6... so they may not discuss it this early in the development process... nothing like announcing something before you can even really talk about what it entails. But, perhaps Bethesda will announce that it's in the works... or perhaps they won't because they are afraid it would take some potential new players away from ESO... if those potential new players think, "ES6 will be coming out, why bother with an online game."

So yes, I fully expect that ES6 will come along... but I am not expecting any major announcements until it is closer to actual release... which we're still talking years, not months.

Rune_Relic · April 2016

If it was me personally I wouldn't be wasting millions on making ES world assets twice over.
I would also expect the current multiplayer infrastructure to be used as beta testing for final development of a truly secure, scalable, fast zenimax network design.
Once all that infrastructure is realised, finalised, in place and operational.....the optimised netcode and security in place.
Then I would expect to see many versions single/multiplayer ES for any number of areas using existing world data to speed development.
I would expect a new sound/game/graphics engine if eso isn't a prototype to leverage those existing assets to the full with android, ipad, ps4 and xbox1 capability etc.
There is no point releasing a game that's 10 years behind before its even released.

For me ESO is a testbench for proper future networking capability.
How much will be adopted and how much dumped .....I guess depends on the problems they are facing now.
Even if ES was single player its still needs proper update and addon (cash shop) built in and probably phone apps for status messages and such.
Even single player games cant live in isolation anymore.
People expect games to take care of their own maintenance/expansion these days.
What will they expect in 5 years time ?

ESO has always felt like an experiment.
With modifications and adjustments on the fly rather than any finalised concept.
As a design model it seems insane....as a test model it makes perfect sense.
Especially if it funds its own testing.

tinythinker · April 2016

We all know the plot for TES VI.

After years of conflict, many within the (new) Aldmeri Dominion of the Fourth Era are tired of war as they have exhausted much of their resources and have made enemies of most other races. The Sload and Maormer are returning as threats, so a secret meeting is arranged with former enemies in the Empire to reach a stronger and more lasting alliance.

However, there are those within the Dominion who plot to break all past truces and treaties and capture the White-Gold Tower, restoring Elven rule over all of Tamriel once more. Among the Dominion's enemies, there is a plot to travel to Black Marsh and revive the infamous Knahaten Flu, modifying it with the Llodos Plague so that it is only lethal only to Mer.

The Hero must travel across Tamriel in an effort to uncover and unravel these and other plots while choosing sides with a Fallout-like faction reaction system and deciding the fate of Tamriel.

This will tie in with elements introduced or expanded on in ESO, so that it entices players from ESO to play TES VI and vice versa.

Elsonso · April 2016

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

viperroos wrote: »

Lol so Fallout 5 will it be there before ES VI?

They have already announced ES6 is in development.

Well, they have not said it, but Fallout 5 is probably also in development. That is just how they work, and why I do not put a lot of stock in what Hines said when he said that they are working on TES 6. He did not say anything that we did not already suspect.

The fly in the ointment is the statement about the three long term projects that are different than anything Bethesda has done before, while still being Bethesda-style games. He amended that to say that he should not have said a number, which only means that there are more than three, but on what scale we do not know. To me, this statement means that they are now actively developing more than one long term game at a time.

We know that, no matter what, Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios have ZOS's back. They are not going to do anything at all that will sabotage ESO. Whatever is done by any of them will compliment, or at least be neutral, to ESO. They will want an environment where all of the Elder Scrolls games on the market are flourishing. To this end, whatever Bethesda wants to do with Elder Scrolls will be in complete harmony and coordinated with ZOS. It will also have been set in motion years ago.

So, what I see on the near horizon for Elder Scrolls is continued development of ESO DLC, the release of Elder Scrolls Legends. Further out, I see a potential Elder Scrolls Online major expansion that extends the Molag Bal main quest, and the single player TES 6 that we already know is in development.

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO · April 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

viperroos wrote: »

Lol so Fallout 5 will it be there before ES VI?

They have already announced ES6 is in development.

Well, they have not said it, but Fallout 5 is probably also in development. That is just how they work, and why I do not put a lot of stock in what Hines said when he said that they are working on TES 6. He did not say anything that we did not already suspect.

The fly in the ointment is the statement about the three long term projects that are different than anything Bethesda has done before, while still being Bethesda-style games. He amended that to say that he should not have said a number, which only means that there are more than three, but on what scale we do not know. To me, this statement means that they are now actively developing more than one long term game at a time.

We know that, no matter what, Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios have ZOS's back. They are not going to do anything at all that will sabotage ESO. Whatever is done by any of them will compliment, or at least be neutral, to ESO. They will want an environment where all of the Elder Scrolls games on the market are flourishing. To this end, whatever Bethesda wants to do with Elder Scrolls will be in complete harmony and coordinated with ZOS. It will also have been set in motion years ago.

So, what I see on the near horizon for Elder Scrolls is continued development of ESO DLC, the release of Elder Scrolls Legends. Further out, I see a potential Elder Scrolls Online major expansion that extends the Molag Bal main quest, and the single player TES 6 that we already know is in development.

Fallout 5 is not in production. Pete Hines said ES6 is in production. There were working exclusively on fallout 4 but now that its basically done except polish on the new DLCs they can now begin working on ES6. Which he describes as "skyrim 2".

Dagonthir · April 2016

I wouldn't expect one until at least May of next year at the earliest considering the time between Oblivion and Skyrim (April 2006 to Nov 2011, about 5 1/2 years). However, as @lordrichter pointed out, they announced a couple months ago that they are working on 3 original IPs, which leads me to believe that they are not heavily invested in another Elder Scrolls game at the moment. Although I'd imagine there's a little bit of work being done on one because people will be expecting one. I suspect they will give ESO some more time before releasing the next major non-online ES game.

UncannyLinderman · April 2016

Not sure how true it is, but I've read some murmers around the interwebs that an Elder Scrolls VI COULD possibly be announced at E3. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Waffennacht · April 2016

tinythinker wrote: »

We all know the plot for TES VI.

After years of conflict, many within the (new) Aldmeri Dominion of the Fourth Era are tired of war as they have exhausted much of their resources and have made enemies of most other races. The Sload and Maormer are returning as threats, so a secret meeting is arranged with former enemies in the Empire to reach a stronger and more lasting alliance.

However, there are those within the Dominion who plot to break all past truces and treaties and capture the White-Gold Tower, restoring Elven rule over all of Tamriel once more. Among the Dominion's enemies, there is a plot to travel to Black Marsh and revive the infamous Knahaten Flu, modifying it with the Llodos Plague so that it is only lethal only to Mer.

The Hero must travel across Tamriel in an effort to uncover and unravel these and other plots while choosing sides with a Fallout-like faction reaction system and deciding the fate of Tamriel.

This will tie in with elements introduced or expanded on in ESO, so that it entices players from ESO to play TES VI and vice versa.

Why would it be in order? All TES games are 1000s of years apart correct?

tinythinker · April 2016

Waffennacht wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

We all know the plot for TES VI.

After years of conflict, many within the (new) Aldmeri Dominion of the Fourth Era are tired of war as they have exhausted much of their resources and have made enemies of most other races. The Sload and Maormer are returning as threats, so a secret meeting is arranged with former enemies in the Empire to reach a stronger and more lasting alliance.

However, there are those within the Dominion who plot to break all past truces and treaties and capture the White-Gold Tower, restoring Elven rule over all of Tamriel once more. Among the Dominion's enemies, there is a plot to travel to Black Marsh and revive the infamous Knahaten Flu, modifying it with the Llodos Plague so that it is only lethal only to Mer.

The Hero must travel across Tamriel in an effort to uncover and unravel these and other plots while choosing sides with a Fallout-like faction reaction system and deciding the fate of Tamriel.

This will tie in with elements introduced or expanded on in ESO, so that it entices players from ESO to play TES VI and vice versa.

Why would it be in order? All TES games are 1000s of years apart correct?

Nope, the first four took place within the lifetime of a single Emperor.

Elsonso · April 2016

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

Fallout 5 is not in production. Pete Hines said ES6 is in production. There were working exclusively on fallout 4 but now that its basically done except polish on the new DLCs they can now begin working on ES6. Which he describes as "skyrim 2".

I just want to repeat a couple points here that I think you missed, or did not give enough weight.

We really don't need Pete Hines to be telling us they are working on TES 6. It is confirmation, yes, but it is like telling us water is wet. We already had a very good idea that TES 6 was being worked on. We already have a very good idea that Fallout 5 is being worked on. All the games overlap, even when the studio is dedicated to a single title. Fallout 4 production started while Skyrim was still being actively developed. I am sure that TES 6 was started while Fallout 4 was being actively developed. When it takes 5-7 years to make a single game, they cannot afford to wait around for a game to be finished before starting on the next one.

So, yes, if they want to make a Fallout 5, someone is already working on it. We don't need Hines to tell us that. However, it would be cool if he did. What Hines is more likely to do is remind us that Fallout 4 just shipped and neither confirm nor deny that there is a Fallout 5 in the works.

Pete Hines never described the next TES as "Skyrim 2". It was completely clear to me that when Hines referenced "Skyrim 2" he was talking about what they DO NOT DO, and that is capitalize on a successful title by pushing out a sequel right away.

“The reason they say that is because generally speaking that’s what you’d be getting with another publisher in charge. They’d be spitting out a Skyrim 2 the year after or two years later. That’s just not how we view it."

For as much as we can be sure at this point, TES 6 is not going to be Skyrim 2. There are other stories to be told in other places in Tamriel. If you want to visit Skyrim again, ESO is going to be your best bet for a good many years.

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO · April 2016

See this is why they dont talk to us. He tells us its in production and you cuss him out over it. Maybe you dont need pete hines giving us info but I would like to hear it.

Elsonso · April 2016

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

See this is why they dont talk to us. He tells us its in production and you cuss him out over it. Maybe you dont need pete hines giving us info but I would like to hear it.

Hopefully, you are not talking about me.

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO · April 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

See this is why they dont talk to us. He tells us its in production and you cuss him out over it. Maybe you dont need pete hines giving us info but I would like to hear it.

Hopefully, you are not talking about me.

We really don't need Pete Hines to be telling us they are working on TES 6. It is confirmation, yes, but it is like telling us water is wet. We already had a very good idea that TES 6 was being worked on.

You just told pete hines you dont need him to tell us that. While I prefer any news we can get. Its why they dont communicate with us because they get grief everytime they post.

Elsonso · April 2016

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

See this is why they dont talk to us. He tells us its in production and you cuss him out over it. Maybe you dont need pete hines giving us info but I would like to hear it.

Hopefully, you are not talking about me.

We really don't need Pete Hines to be telling us they are working on TES 6. It is confirmation, yes, but it is like telling us water is wet. We already had a very good idea that TES 6 was being worked on.

You just told pete hines you dont need him to tell us that. While I prefer any news we can get. Its why they dont communicate with us because they get grief everytime they post.

No, I don't need Pete Hines to tell me that. That should not be taken to mean that Pete Hines should not bother saying it. Quite the opposite.

"We don't need Hines to tell us that. However, it would be cool if he did. What Hines is more likely to do is remind us that Fallout 4 just shipped and neither confirm nor deny that there is a Fallout 5 in the works."

DaveMoeDee · April 2016

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO wrote: »

See this is why they dont talk to us. He tells us its in production and you cuss him out over it. Maybe you dont need pete hines giving us info but I would like to hear it.

What exactly did he say that was a confirmation that it was in production? I don't trust the reading comprehension of the Internet masses. I see so many references to statements he made when searching online, but I haven't seen any quotes that say anything of substance. If the game will take another 2-3 years to come out, that is a big window for ESO.

I remember rumors of Boston scouting for Fallout 4 many years ago. That is a far cry from development and didn't really give any idea of time frame.

kongkim · April 2016

Hope they will just keep ESO going for now.

SahrotRein · April 2016

This thing again... one would think that after almost 2 years it'd be clear that ESO is being handled by ZOS and TES single-player serie by Bethesda seperately.

anitajoneb17_ESO · April 2016

Runaan wrote: »

This thing again... one would think that after almost 2 years it'd be clear that ESO is being handled by ZOS and TES single-player serie by Bethesda seperately.

This thing again... one would think that people have enough common sense to understand that ZOS and Bethesda are two separate BUT sister companies with the same "boss company" and that OF COURSE they are coordinating development and release schedules together, as one company, because they share the same playerbase to a great extent.

Gidorick · April 2016

I was personally hoping ESO would remove the need or desire for another TES title... It didn't.

Bigevilpeter · April 2016

Nope we wont see another one for a while, they explicitly stated if you want more ES you'll have to content yourself with ESO for a while

ArchMikem · April 2016

Gidorick wrote: »

I was personally hoping ESO would remove the need or desire for another TES title... It didn't.

ESO is an online only game. What would happen if something happened to the servers, or Zenimax finally stops supporting it altogether? You can't just boot up your character you spent so much time on and play the game by yourself. Single Player games have replay value and sustainability. Even if after a time the developer stops supporting it, you can still boot it up and play it for old time's sake. And I would LOVE to see an Elder Scrolls VI.

Maybe a story where the Dominion is destroyed for good, or we embark on an Invasion of Akavir.

LuxLunae · April 2016

I think this question was a bit not needed.

Of course TES VI is coming out. For the thousand time, ESO and TES are two different entities. I mean the teams are independent from each other. I say take the time to make a great TES game that breaks new ground...and doesn't retread the same steps as its predecessor...

Elsonso · April 2016

Gidorick wrote: »

I was personally hoping ESO would remove the need or desire for another TES title... It didn't.

I like ESO, but I was never going to think it would replace the single player games. I have room in my life for both.

tinythinker · April 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

I was personally hoping ESO would remove the need or desire for another TES title... It didn't.

I like ESO, but I was never going to think it would replace the single player games. I have room in my life for both.

Yeah, some folks were worried that a TES MMORPG meant no more new single-player games as happened with Warcraft. But when I heard ESO was going to be set in the middle of the Second Era I knew that wouldn't be the case. By placing ESO in the distant past, ZOS can backfill some lore for that period while new TES games can continue future progression.

I think Skyrim was kind of an experiment. They intentionally got rid of the Uriel Septim VII, the Third Era, and a unified Empire setting by killing off the Septim line in Oblivion and pushing Skyrim forward a few hundred years. The new setting has a fractured Empire, pretender Emperors, a largely destroyed Morrowind, and provinces like Hammerfell and Argonia acting as autonomous states. If Skyrim had not lived up to commercial/financial expectations, they could have scrubbed that setting, moved forward another hundred years or so, and changed it up again. Given that it worked, the new setting will probably stick around a while.

Hence my plot for TES VI (now expanded with more detail...)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After years of conflict, many within the Aldmeri Dominion of the Fourth Era are tired of war and the heavy-handedness of the regime as they have exhausted much of their resources and have made enemies of most other races. The Sload and Maormer are returning as threats, adding to the strain, so a secret meeting is arranged by a faction within the Dominion with former enemies in the Empire to reach a stronger and more lasting alliance. Assassins interrupt the meeting, the survivors on each side blame the other side, and you are captured and sentenced to death as a traitor for undermining the existing political arrangement. You start the game as a prisoner and are quietly released by those still hoping for a lasting peace and true unity.

However, there are those within the Dominion who plot to break all past truces and treaties and capture the White-Gold Tower, restoring Elven rule over all of Tamriel once more. Among the Dominion's enemies, there is a plot to travel to Black Marsh and revive the infamous Knahaten Flu, modifying it with the Llodos Plague so that it is only lethal only to Mer.

The new Hero must travel across Tamriel in an effort to uncover and unravel these and other plots while choosing sides with a Fallout-like faction reaction system and deciding the fate of Tamriel.

You could choose to help the Dominion find peace and trust with the rest of Tamriel by aiding members of that faction in quests to build up your reputation, but, you would need to foil the plot to restart the wars and prevent the Dominion from taking W-G tower by working from within. Or you could adventure for peace by helping the Dominion's enemies who also want a lasting truce/alliance, but you would have to stop the plot to murder all Mer by a rival faction within your allies. Of course, you can still foil the other major doomsday plot whichever way you go (help AD and stop the plague plot, oppose AD and keep them from taking W-G Tower), but, your faction rep with different groups wouldn't be the same so how you did it would change. There would be other minor factions as well with their own agendas.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This ties in loosely with elements introduced or expanded on in ESO and some of it is almost certainly going to be used in future TES games. Yes, lore has the Maormer and Sload suffering crushing defeats in the past, but that doesn't mean they can't eventually return one day as a threat.

The game map would be Elsweyr plus: eastern Valenwood, Elsweyr, and western Argonia. Outside of Arena and The Elder Scrolls Online, Valenwood, Elsweyr, and Argonia are never really seen or visited. It would be nice to see them with a single-player game level of graphics and also what they look like in the Fourth Era. As for the suggested storyline summarized above, you could even include some border areas of Cyrodiil such as The West Weald and Blackwood as part of the expanded areas to explore and quest in along Elsweyr's borders. A meeting between the two sides mentioned would be sensible to hold in this region of the Empire, and whichever factions you choose to work with, they would have operatives and plans taking places in these areas.

sekou_trayvond · April 2016

Fallout 5 is not in production. Pete Hines said ES6 is in production. There were working exclusively on fallout 4 but now that its basically done except polish on the new DLCs they can now begin working on ES6. Which he describes as "skyrim 2".

This is a patently false statement.

Look, Pete has said absolutely nothing definitive about the next Elder Sdcrolls.

Here is the original interview that all these clickbait sites, um, " utilize" for their, um, "reporting":

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/what-to-play/bethesdas-pete-hines-another-publisher-would-be-spitting-out-skyrim-2-a-year-later/

Note that this interview vwas done by the Telegraph in June 2015. Bored at the turn of the year, the clickbait sites decided to tell bold face lies in January 2016, proclaiming Elder Scrolls 6 and Skyrim 2 release dates in their headlines

Dear lord.

The Telegraph is a reputable news source. So is Game Informer. As is Kotaku. Um, Latin Post? The Parent Herald? Ecumenical Times?

No. Just no.

Please stop referencing this clickbait nonsense as " sources" as to what Pete has said.

Elsonso · April 2016

tinythinker wrote: »

I think Skyrim was kind of an experiment. They intentionally got rid of the Uriel Septim VII, the Third Era, and a unified Empire setting by killing off the Septim line in Oblivion and pushing Skyrim forward a few hundred years. The new setting has a fractured Empire, pretender Emperors, a largely destroyed Morrowind, and provinces like Hammerfell and Argonia acting as autonomous states. If Skyrim had not lived up to commercial/financial expectations, they could have scrubbed that setting, moved forward another hundred years or so, and changed it up again. Given that it worked, the new setting will probably stick around a while.

Interesting story you have (did not quote for brevity).

Actually, it has not escaped my attention that, given what ESO has done by moving into the past, the new Elder Scrolls game could do the same thing. It could deal with the rise of the 4th Era Aldmeri Dominion and the events happened between Oblivion and Skyrim. The single player games have never done this, and I am not sure if this is by design or just the way it turned out. In any case, they left a LOT of room in the timeline to do this.

However, in my heart, I really don't want to see another Aldmeri Dominion or Thalmor conflict any time soon in the single player games. I don't want to see the rise before Skyrim. I don't want to see conflicts with them after the events of Skyrim. I will be happy if the future TES single player games never include them as a main part of the game. I don't play TES games to be involved in a serial soap opera. While they are interconnected, each game needs to stand alone.

exeeter702 · April 2016

Mettaricana wrote: »

Different companies handling both games so one has no effect on the other they milking fallout for dlcs atm

This is a bit ignorant actually. On the inside yes they are 2 seperate studios, but they ate still under the same shot callers. It was already said that for at least a while ESO will be where the elder scrolls franchise will see focus (which is unfortunate but not surprising in the least).

The people at the top with the deepest pockets know it would not be in their best interest to splinter the player base, they would be shooting themselves in the foot. When eso was announced, literally the very moment it was, I immediately knew kotor scenario 2.0 was in full effect.

tinythinker · April 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

I think Skyrim was kind of an experiment. They intentionally got rid of the Uriel Septim VII, the Third Era, and a unified Empire setting by killing off the Septim line in Oblivion and pushing Skyrim forward a few hundred years. The new setting has a fractured Empire, pretender Emperors, a largely destroyed Morrowind, and provinces like Hammerfell and Argonia acting as autonomous states. If Skyrim had not lived up to commercial/financial expectations, they could have scrubbed that setting, moved forward another hundred years or so, and changed it up again. Given that it worked, the new setting will probably stick around a while.

Interesting story you have (did not quote for brevity).

Actually, it has not escaped my attention that, given what ESO has done by moving into the past, the new Elder Scrolls game could do the same thing. It could deal with the rise of the 4th Era Aldmeri Dominion and the events happened between Oblivion and Skyrim. The single player games have never done this, and I am not sure if this is by design or just the way it turned out. In any case, they left a LOT of room in the timeline to do this.

However, in my heart, I really don't want to see another Aldmeri Dominion or Thalmor conflict any time soon in the single player games. I don't want to see the rise before Skyrim. I don't want to see conflicts with them after the events of Skyrim. I will be happy if the future TES single player games never include them as a main part of the game. I don't play TES games to be involved in a serial soap opera. While they are interconnected, each game needs to stand alone.

@lordrichter

Well, if they keep the same setting, the "cold war" would still exist between what's left of the Empire and the Dominion. In my plot your role would be that of a peace-maker role to help prevent a new conflict. If you look at the four original games, they weren't direct serials, but they did occur in the lifetime of a single Emperor and the events in one game left a mark on the sequels. The plot I shared for what we could call TES VI: Elsweyr is set 5-10 years after TES V: Skyrim, so it isn't a direct jump into the new story.

The opening cut-scene is as I described, and the back of the box would read like my plot summary, but, that doesn't mean that that aspect of the storyline would be all there was. In fact, were I the game director or lead writer (haha), there would be a something else at work. The assassins would turn out to be working for a third party in the hopes of dashing the current peace and preventing a true reunification of Tamriel. So you are doing the plot I outlined with whatever faction(s) you decide to work with while also figuring out that a third party is involved and trying to figure out who it is...

And the string-pullers are:

The Akaviri and their agents, specifically the Kamal, or Snow Demons, the same group whose foiled invasion led to the formation of the Ebonheart Pact in the mid-Second Era. They see that Tamriel is weak and divided. The Provinces on the coastline nearest to Akavir, Skyrim and Morrowind, are severely weakened. If they can re-light the war and make deals with certain leaders of Tamriel, they can finally succeed in their long desired conquest. This plot naturally opens the way for TES VII: Akavir...