Bethesda director Todd Howard shared insights on The Elder Scrolls 6 during an IGN interview, highlighting improvements in development efficiency learned from Starfield. He discussed challenges with early announcements and future hardware needs. Howard noted more stable builds using Creation Engine 3.
In a recent IGN interview, Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard offered a brief update on The Elder Scrolls 6, currently in development for next-generation consoles. Howard addressed expectations around future hardware, stating, “We've been fortunate that we see that stuff really, really early and it's tricky for... console manufacturers - whoever they are - they have to take a very long view of development.” He emphasized Bethesda's strategy to “cast a wide net technically,” supporting high-end PCs while scaling for lower-powered devices like handhelds and underclocked systems, thanks to their PC audience base. Reflecting on the 2018 E3 announcements of Fallout 76, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls 6, Howard said, “Just pretend we didn't announce it. Doesn't exist.” He explained the reveals aimed to inform fans amid questions about single-player games, but added, “it's not my preference.” Howard cited studio scale limitations in balancing updates across projects, noting fans' eagerness for news on multiple titles. On progress, Howard joked “nothing” and “never heard of it” before detailing lessons from Starfield. With Creation Engine 3, “the team has done a really incredible job at not just pushing what it is, but how it's integrated into our development cycle.” Builds are now “really consistently working,” with “more days than we've ever had where the build is good, there's new stuff in it, and we can play it.” Unlike Starfield, where “we struggled there for a number of years in terms of when we went through the engine change,” the team has better managed technical shifts without halting content creation.
