The mythical and ever-elusive Elder Scrolls 6 is nowhere near in sight, as always. However, a former Bethesda developer has shed some light on the situation and why it might be taking Todd Howard and Bethesda too long to come up with a worthy sequel to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Turns out Microsoft might be influencing the development of The Elder Scrolls 6 a little too much.
The opinion came from a former Bethesda artist, Dennis Mejillones who was interviewed by KIWI TALKZ recently. Denis Mejillones worked as a character artist on Skyrim, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and even Starfield before retiring. Hence, he’s seen Bethesda from the height of its popularity all the way to the friction the studio is experiencing right now with Starfield.
According to Dennis Mejillones, however, the days when the final say mostly belongs to Todd Howard could be long gone. Microsoft acquired Bethesda back in 2020 and since then, there has been a constant set of new expectations for Todd Howard and the studio, mostly from Microsoft executives. Thus, Mejillones puts it this way:
“I think he struggles with a lot of it (differing decisions for Elder Scrolls 6). He’s the final decision maker. Whatever decisions are made, he’s going to take the heat for it.
Because the stakes are also higher… Todd [back then] had the flexibility to do what he wants– I’m not so sure he has that flexibility anymore with Microsoft. I think that can impact his way of thinking with future developments. There are metrics that need to be met– all sorts of stuff.
I just don’t envy it. In some ways, Todd is stuck in the middle,” says Dennis Mejillones.
Mejillones added that such a situation is stressful for Todd Howard since trying to please everyone pleases no one at all, so the saying goes. There are expectations from Bethesda devs, and also expectations from Microsoft executives. Having to balance all that for The Elder Scrolls 6 could prove to be one of the most challenging hurdles in its development.
Here’s the full interview for those who want to hear more of Dennis Mejillones’ opinions and history with Bethesda.
As for The Elder Scrolls 6, there’s no big or grand reveal on the way apparently. The last news about the Skyrim sequel was an official announcement teaser way back in 2018– six years ago.
