Fans have been hoping for The Elder Scrolls 6 for close to a decade now, and at this rate, it seems entirely possible that the decade mark may be reached before the game actually does release. Bethesda have repeatedly said that the title is coming, but that Starfield will release first; a game which was only tentatively teased for the first time at E3 last year. Nevertheless, one noted gaming analyst has made a bold prediction for The Elder Scrolls 6 release date; that the game will release in 2019!
Michael Pachter’s Prediction for The Elder Scrolls 6 Release Date
The prediction was made by gaming analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities, during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. Pachter’s predictions have been decidedly mixed over the years. However, it’s fair to say that few analysts can boast a perfect report card. In 2018, Pachter correctly predicted that Call of Duty would add Battle Royale, that Rockstar wouldn’t announce any major games, and that the Switch wouldn’t reach 20 million units sold, among other things. However, he also predicted that the Xbox One X would fall to a price of $349, which has not occurred, and that there would be a new Warcraft game announced for mobile.
His predictions for 2019 are certainly interesting; he predicts that Overwatch will move to a free-to-play model, for example, and that Nintendo will launch a fully handheld Switch. One prediction that he makes about Elder Scrolls, however, is that; “Elder Scrolls VI is coming in 2019. The flop of Fallout 76 makes a hit more essential for Bethesda, and I expect them to accelerate development of ESVI.”
How Likely is This Prediction to Come True?
While the latter half of his prediction is certainly feasible – the failure of Fallout 76 is sure to make Bethesda redouble their efforts for their next title – the first half seems much, much more unlikely. Bethesda have repeatedly stated that Starfield will launch before The Elder Scrolls VI, and that game is still in development. Indeed, Bethesda have yet to release a true trailer for the game, let alone gameplay. Todd Howard himself has said that fans should be “very, very patient,”; it seems a long shot to bet that Starfield will release in 2019, let alone Elder Scrolls 6. Pachter does acknowledge that he has been wrong on this very prediction before, however. He has predicted a new Elder Scrolls game every year since 2016, and the title has thus far failed to materialise.
While many fans would surely love for The Elder Scrolls 6 release date to fall in 2019; it doesn’t seem at all likely. Even were Bethesda to put Starfield completely on hold and re-task their developers to the next Elder Scrolls, getting the game ready for a 2019 release runs a serious risk of repeating the failings of Fallout 76; releasing the game much too early and further alienating the studio from its unhappy fans.