Bethesda's director and executive producer Todd Howard says the devs approach the sixth Elder Scroll game in a way so that people could play it for "a decade, two decades" after its release.
During the latest Lex Fridman's podcast, Bethesda's Todd Howard spoke about The Elder Scrolls VI and the team's approach to creating the game.
The Elder Scrolls VI was first announced back in 2018 with a short teaser trailer, however, apart from it, the devs haven't shown anything ever since.
When asked whether he already knows when the next The Elder Scrolls is coming out, Howard just replied that he now only has a "vague idea" adding that he wishes it was soon. He explained that the development is taking a lot of time and he regrets a little that he did not start working on The Elder Scrolls VI earlier. The developer jokingly added that if he could go back in time, he would definitely not put off the sixth part for so long.
Speaking of why the development is taking so much time, Howard emphasized that the studio wants to make sure that they "do it right." He also added that creating the best gaming possible is especially crucial for The Elder Scrolls titles as people will play those games for years.
Howard noted that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still Bethesda's most popular game even 11 years after its release. So, during the development of the sixth game, the devs take into account such longevity and think about how they can create a game that people will return to for 10-20 years after the release.
"People are playing games for a long time, you know. Skyrim is 11 years old – still probably our most-played game, and so we don't see it slowing down. And people will probably be playing it 10 years from now also," he said. "So you have to think about 'Okay, people are gonna play the next Elder Scrolls game for a decade, two decades... And that does change the way you think about how you architect it from the get-go."
Howard explained that by longevity, he doesn't only mean continued support by mods and the fan community – which he really appreciates though – but also a large amount of content in the original version without any mods. According to the developer, the “vanilla” version of Skyrim without mods can still surprise players and present something new even 11 years after the release.
In the same podcast, Howard also confirmed Starfield's exclusivity for PC and Xbox and shared his thoughts on what it means for the studio to focus on one platform. You can learn more about it here.
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