Latest leak on The Elder Scrolls 6 is just a rehash of dubious months-old rumor

A new "leak" about The Elder Scrolls 6 has been circulating on the internet, speaking of returning dragons, naval battles, twin provinces, and ship-management mechanics. Although exciting stuff, it is not situated on any reliable source. A post professing the new leak caught some good traction in the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit yesterday, and all sources seem to point to eXtas1s, a known leaker in these quarters.

However, the primary source of this leak is neither extas1s nor any Xbox-adjacent insider, but a months-old 4chan post.

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It's unlikely we are hearing from Bethesda about The Elder Scrolls 6 this year

The Elder Scrolls 6 is not really coming as early as this hopeful account foretells (Image via Youtube)

The video that eXtas1s references is from a YouTube channel, @colteastwood, which claims that we might get to see a showcase as early as 2025, with a possible release date in 2026 or 2027. Before we address this, the more interesting bit is the cited primary source.

The video itself claims that the information has been provided by an anonymous Bethesda Softworks employee, but does not mention any online source directly. However, the video description cites a now-removed 4chan post on the /v/ board.

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TES 6 will be set in more than one province, the original source alleged

The 4chan post is at least three months old, and going by the excerpts of it recorded in a Reddit post from November 20, 2024, The Elder Scrolls 6 will exhibit the following features:

• There will be 12-13 major cities without loading doors, and they plan on being "large"
• The first central gimmick of The Elder Scrolls 6 is it will be set in two provinces rather than one
• The second gimmick is a focus on privateering gameplay, with naval battles, ship-management, settlement-building
• There will be some degree of procedural generation involved to populate the sea with islands
• There will be a settlement system with what seems to be some lite town-management gameplay as a feudal lord

If we do entertain the shaky legitimacy of the source, it would suggest that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be set in both Hammerfell and High Rock, with some procedurally generated islands in the Lilac Bay for its naval gameplay.

However, even setting aside the lack of any verification, there are some big gaps and suspicious circumstances that undermine the legitimacy of this so-called leak. For one, the post claims there is a "strong crunch culture currently", which is unlikely for a game expected to be halfway, at most, into its development.

More importantly, this leak also parrots some bits of information from another incognito 4chan leak from June 2024, which additionally claim a 2028 release date for The Elder Scrolls 6.

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When can we realistically expect TES 6?

In truth, TES 6 cannot have entered active development before August 2023, which means it's less than two years into putting the nuts and bolts of the title together. A lot of the claims feel like educated guesses that might turn out right. Regardless, they would still be guesses and not regular leaks we can rely on.

While it's thus far patchy musings from unverified sources, the 2028 release date claim does track with the vaguely known timeline we do have. The only official account so far is from Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who commented in June 2023 that TES 6 is "five-plus years away".

Meanwhile, the more immediate prospects for the world of Tamriel lie in the de-factor-confirmed UE5 remake of Oblivion, which remains unannounced officially as of this writing.

With all that said, it would be technically false to say Bethesda has made no squeak about TES 6 in recent history. Last week, they announced a Make-a-Wish opportunity for one lucky winner to immortalize their name in the game.

For the rest of us unlucky millions, here are five open-world games to play while we wait.