The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely to be delayed following substantial layoffs at Bethesda Softworks, according to multiple developers speaking anonymously to IGN. The job cuts are part of a wider restructuring at Xbox, which announced 1,600 immediate layoffs on Monday, expected to rise to 3,200 by the end of the financial year.
Bethesda Hit Hard by Layoffs
Bethesda Game Studios is believed to have lost ‘dozens’ of staff members, including programmers, artists, designers and testers. The Bethesda Game Studios Union confirmed that many of those laid off had worked at the studio for decades. One developer described the layoffs as having a ‘crushing effect on morale’.
Impact on The Elder Scrolls 6
Speaking to IGN, a developer stated: “We were already running a tight ship and are worried about this delaying the game (though a final release date was not yet chosen as far as we know).” Another anonymous developer explained that Bethesda's proprietary Creation Engine requires lengthy training for new hires, potentially causing further delays. “There is a fear that we are going to be replaced by cheaper, contracted labor, or we will hire folks to replace them that will need to be onboarded (our tools are proprietary, other devs aren't going to know how they work) resulting in more delays, and we'll need to crunch to make up the time,” the developer told IGN.
Game Still Years Away
Although game director Todd Howard and Xbox’s chief content officer Matt Booty previously teased that The Elder Scrolls 6 was in playtesting and ‘looking amazing’, the game is still believed to be more than two years away. If released in 2028, it will mark over a decade since its initial teaser at E3 2018. The last mainline Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim, was released in 2011.
Xbox Restructuring
The shakeup at Xbox is intended to streamline processes and focus on tentpole franchises. Reports earlier this week indicated that Obsidian Entertainment, developer of Fallout New Vegas, is being assigned a new Fallout project to accelerate delivery. Bethesda itself has spent much of the last decade on Fallout 76 and Starfield, the latter receiving mixed reviews from players and critics.
It remains to be seen whether these job cuts will ultimately benefit Xbox in the long term.
