Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has revealed she was treated to a live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls 6 during a visit to Bethesda Game Studios, teasing the game's subtitle with eight asterisks. The announcement comes as union members protested mass layoffs outside the studio with an inflatable rat.
Sharma's Playthrough and Tease
In a post on X, Sharma wrote: 'Live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls 6: ******** this morning. The scale and grandeur are incredible. The story is even greater.' The phrase 'live playthrough' is ambiguous, leaving unclear whether she played it herself or watched someone else.
The eight asterisks have sparked speculation about the subtitle. Past games in the series are named after provinces in Tamriel, with the exception of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Rumours suggest The Elder Scrolls 6 is set in Hammerfell, but that name is more than eight characters. Cyrodiil fits the length, but it's considered an unlikely subtitle.
Layoff Protests at Bethesda
The tweet came hours after members of the Bethesda Game Studios Union planted 800 red flags outside the office in Rockville, Maryland, each representing a person who lost their job since July 2025. A giant inflatable rat, known as Scabby, was also present, a common symbol in US labour disputes.
According to the union OneBGS (via Kotaku), 440 union positions were eliminated across Bethesda and ZeniMax unions during layoffs that are set to affect 3,200 people before the end of the fiscal year. A developer at id Software recently criticised Xbox executives, saying they 'don't understand art'.
