After long years of waiting, Bethesda Game Studios has finally given The Elder Scrolls fans another glimpse of the latest entry. Well, calling it a glimpse might be a bit generous, though. During the studio’s 40th-anniversary celebration, director Todd Howard unveiled the long-awaited RPG’s official title, called The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel. Unfortunately, anyone hoping to see actual gameplay, characters, or even a cinematic trailer will have to keep waiting.
The teaser reveal came at the end of Bethesda’s 40th anniversary video retrospective. Howard revisited the studio’s history, from its early, unknown games like The Terminator adaptation and Gridiron to eventual fan-favorites like Fallout, Starfield, and, of course, The Elder Scrolls.
Near the end of the video, Howard finally addressed the elephant in the room. “You know, everybody’s always asking about Elder Scrolls 6. And we thought, hey, given the moment, what a perfect time to tell you what The Elder Scrolls 6 is actually called.” What followed was a one-minute-and-four-second clip of blowing desert sand eventually revealing the The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel logo. And that was pretty much it. No release date, no glimpse of in-game footage, not even a piece of concept art. Nothing.
At the very least, though, Bethesda left fans with a cryptic quote they could dissect for the next year. “The scroll offered only a shimmer, a veil thinly lifted to my eyes. A future lost. A victory undone. Sands of time scattered by fate.” The quote is attributed to Yazar, Moth Priest of High Queen Iradne of Hammerfell, dated 4E 206. For those unfamiliar with The Elder Scrolls lore, Sentinel is also the name of one of Hammerfell’s nine major kingdoms, and the city serves as the capital of the Alik’r Desert and Myrkwasa regions.
All combined, it basically confirms the long-rumored Hammerfell setting. The date also places the quotation roughly five years after the events of Skyrim. While it’s not been confirmed yet, hearsay claims that The Elder Scrolls 6 will feature ’12 to 13 major cities,’ naval battles, shipbuilding, and underwater exploration inspired by Starfield‘s mechanics. Dragons will also reportedly return with a revamped ‘flexible’ progression system that will completely ditch traditional class-based gameplay.
Bethesda might still have little to say about The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel, but its fans certainly don’t. “14 years to choose a font. Now that’s perfectionism,” ribbed one YouTube commenter. “Only took 8 years to go from a announcement trailer to a teaser trailer,” wrote another. “We are so back!” Another commenter quipped, “8 letters after 8 years bravo Todd.” Meanwhile, someone else referred to the Spider-Man 2 meme, “You know, i am somehow kind of an Elder myself after all these years.”
This hush-hush approach definitely lines up with Todd Howard’s remark last year. At the time, he warned that The Elder Scrolls 6 was still ‘a long way off,’ urging fans to be patient despite the agonizing wait. “I’m preaching patience. I don’t want fans to feel anxious,” he said. Well, eight years after its original E3 2018 announcement, we finally have a name. At this rate, perhaps we’ll get to see a 30-second gameplay teaser by Bethesda’s 50th anniversary.
