Fans of The Elder Scrolls are languishing in the thought that the next game in the franchise is probably years away. Even if Bethesda is cooperating with Microsoft to do some showcases this summer, odds are that Bethesda will be focusing on games like Starfield rather than The Elder Scrolls. In spite of The Elder Scrolls 6's announcement a while back, Bethesda has other projects to get out of the way. That's reminiscent of another franchise's status, though. Grand Theft Auto is also supposedly on the precipice of getting a sixth game, but Rockstar has yet to reveal or confirm anything about it.
That leaves both of these franchises hanging in an interestingly similar limbo. The Elder Scrolls fans and Grand Theft Auto fans are both waiting for the sixth game in the series, and in very similar circumstances. Not only are there other games that both Bethesda and Rockstar are giving priority, but that priority is ironic. Neither The Elder Scrolls nor Grand Theft Auto have gotten a new installation in the franchise in at least eight years, which would otherwise seem like more than enough time to develop another entry, especially for studios as talented and financially stable as Bethesda and Rockstar.
Elder Scrolls Has Held Elder Scrolls Back
Many Elder Scrolls fans might actually blame the last Elder Scrolls game for delaying The Elder Scrolls 6 for so long. Skyrim is one of the most frequently rereleased games in the industry's history; its tenure stretches from the PS3 and Xbox 360 all the way to the Nintendo Switch. It's pretty rare that a single video game lasts three console generations, let alone two. Nevertheless, Skyrim is still very relevant and a big talking point when it comes to RPGs, even now in the PS5 and Xbox Series X age. The longer Skyrim has lived, though, the longer it takes Bethesda to move on and produce The Elder Scrolls 6. Even though Skyrim is a solid game, constantly enhancing it and porting it to new platforms means a lot of Elder Scrolls attention is devoted exclusively to the present state of The Elder Scrolls and not the franchise's future.
Everything changed at E3 2018 when Bethesda officially announced that it was working on The Elder Scrolls 6. Although the trailer was brief and vague, not even offering concrete details on The Elder Scrolls 6's setting, just knowing that the game was in the works was a huge relief for fans of the franchise. It's been nearly three years since the game was announced, though, and Bethesda hasn't shared any further details about it. It's entirely possible that Bethesda talks about The Elder Scrolls 6 at E3 2021 or at Summer Game Fest, but all signs indicate that Bethesda is prioritizing its new title Starfield over Elder Scrolls 6. Whether Bethesda talks about it soon or not, Elder Scrolls 6 probably still years away from release. It needs to be an ambitious, immaculate RPG to really follow up on Skyrim, so odds are that it'll be a late addition to the Xbox Series X.
Grand Theft Auto 6 and the Endless Rumors
Grand Theft Auto 6's situation is very similar to Elder Scrolls 6 in an important way: just like how Skyrim's incredible longevity has kept the franchise afloat for so many years, Grand Theft Auto 5 has singlehandedly carried Grand Theft Auto for the last several years. Not only was Grand Theft Auto 5 a tremendous success at launch, but it continues to be extremely popular. The multiplayer portion Grand Theft Auto Online is still getting updates, and it's particularly popular with Twitch streamers who roleplay on servers like NoPixel. It's fairly rare for a game as old as Grand Theft Auto 5 to preserve such a high level of popularity with streamers.
One thing that's very different about Grand Theft Auto 6 compared to Elder Scrolls is that GTA 6 hasn't actually been announced. Logically it seems like that the game is in development, considering how long it's been since GTA 5 came out, but without any evidence from Rockstar, it's hard to know for sure if the game actually exists. Rumors like a return to classic Grand Theft Auto cities constantly crop up, then get debated and cut down based on their believability. The constant churning of the rumor mill is now a familiar facet of fans' relationship with Grand Theft Auto 6.
It seems inevitable that Rockstar will announce the next game in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but then, it's not under a ton of duress to get it out anytime soon. Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the best selling video games in history, and streamers maintaining its popularity are surely motivating more sales. At the very least, the aggressive amount of speculation and "leaking" around the game indicates that Grand Theft Auto 6 has an enthusiastic audience that's ready to buy and play the game. Rockstar should be aware of its fans and make sure not to rest on its laurels for too long.
Bethesda and Rockstar's States of Development
One more difference between Bethesda and Rockstar's current states is what they've got going on. Bethesda's certainly got a lot on its plate, with the mysterious but anticipated Starfield in production and a big transition into Xbox Game Studios only recently completed. Rockstar, meanwhile, has suspiciously little in development. It's mostly focused on Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online as far as fans can tell. It could very well be working on Grand Theft Auto 6 right now, but keeping it under wraps until the game is closer to completion.
In spite of a few differences, there's no mistaking how similar these franchises are right now. Both are historically pretty good at releasing new games on a reliable schedule, but their most recent installations have broken tradition by delaying the sixth entry by many years. Grand Theft Auto and The Elder Scrolls will both inevitably move on, but both franchises have made fans wait for a really long time, and they're probably going to make fans wait for a couple more years. Grand Theft Auto 6 and The Elder Scrolls 6 are as much associated with obscurity as their parent franchises. Someday that'll come to the end, and that'll be a big day for both franchises.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development. Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to be in development.