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 hungry for any scrap of information about the game. With little more than an official character creation competition to go on, it's no wonder the community has plunged into speculation about the game's release date.

This week, Bethesda unveiled its latest collaboration with Make-A-Wish, offering fans a chance to bid on an opportunity to work with Bethesda Game Studios to design a character that will appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. "For the last several years, we have been fortunate enough to partner with Make-A-Wish to fulfill wishes, support local events, and provide unique experiences and items to help children battling life-threatening illnesses," Bethesda stated.

"This year, for their Silent Auction, we are offering one lucky winner the chance to collaborate with Bethesda Game Studios to create a character for The Elder Scrolls 6. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to Make-A-Wish."

While this initiative is commendable and supports a noble cause, for The Elder Scrolls 6 enthusiasts, it's more than just a charitable act. The community has been drawing parallels between this Make-A-Wish project and a similar one for Starfield, attempting to gauge the current development stage of The Elder Scrolls 6 and predict its release date.

The community's speculation has taken a creative turn, with Reddit user 'FartingSlowly' noting that Bethesda's announcement for a Starfield character creation opportunity came two-and-a-half years before Starfield's release in September 2023. Using this as a benchmark, 'FartingSlowly' suggests that The Elder Scrolls 6 might hit the shelves on September 27, 2027. "This is not a reliable indicator for a release date by any means," 'FartingSlowly' conceded. "Don't take it too seriously. But it's something tangible from Bethesda, a break from the usual baseless speculation."

As expected, the community has met this prediction with skepticism. Some have pointed out that the Starfield Make-A-Wish competition was announced when the game was slated for a November 11, 2022 release, leading to speculation that The Elder Scrolls 6 might see the light of day in November 2026.

It's been a long wait since Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6. By January, the announcement from June 10, 2018, had aged as much as Skyrim had when The Elder Scrolls 6 was first revealed. The studio confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 had entered "early development" in August 2023, and "early builds" were available by March 2024. 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 Elder Scrolls 6 is expected to launch no earlier than 2028, likely on the next generation of consoles as well as PC. If it does, it will mark an astonishing 17 years since the release of Skyrim. While we await further news, you can explore Everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6.