by Records from the legal dispute between Microsoft and the FTC have surfaced online, and a significant slide reveals that Microsoft has no intentions of bringing The Elder Scrolls VI to PlayStation.
A document obtained by Stephen Totilo displays a breakdown of games and supported platforms, with The Elder Scrolls VI listed as being in progress for Xbox and PC, but not PlayStation. The document also indicates that The Elder Scrolls VI will be released no earlier than 2026 and will not feature multiplayer support.
Another recently accessible document reveals that Microsoft informed the FTC in September 2022 that The Elder Scrolls VI “may be released only on Xbox and PC.”
From Microsoft’s responses in the FTC vs Microsoft case. Elder Scrolls VI listed here as Xbox and PC and releasing 2026 or later.
During testimony at the hearing, Xbox’s Phil Spencer went on to say the game was at least five years out and platforms were technically TBD pic.twitter.com/Kto9bE5U8C— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) September 18, 2023
This revelation regarding The Elder Scrolls VI should not be surprising. After all, Microsoft made Starfield exclusive to Xbox and PC following the acquisition of ZeniMax, so it is only fitting that the company’s next game would follow a similar strategy. Game director Todd Howard recently discussed why Starfield is a superior game due to its absence on PlayStation.
Microsoft’s documentation and statements made by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer do not align perfectly. Spencer was recently quoted as saying the company determines platform availability for its games on a case-by-case basis, rather than explicitly stating that the game is not expected to be released on PlayStation 5.
In June, as part of the Microsoft-FTC court case, Spencer stated that the platforms for The Elder Scrolls VI have not yet been decided, partly due to the game’s distant release date.
“With Elder Scrolls VI, it is so far in the future that it is difficult to predict which platforms will be available at that point,” Spencer explained. “It is the same team that is completing Starfield, which will be released this September. So we are discussing a game that is at least five years away.”
Microsoft is currently developing new Xbox hardware, and the next generation of consoles could commence in 2028, so it is possible that The Elder Scrolls VI may appear on whatever the next Xbox iteration turns out to be.
The Elder Scrolls VI was announced in June 2018, and since then, Bethesda has remained relatively tight-lipped. Howard recently discussed how the game may have been announced prematurely. After years of pre-production, The Elder Scrolls VI is now officially in development.
Following The Elder Scrolls VI, Bethesda will proceed with the creation of Fallout 5.
