Bethesda released a video celebrating the game studio’s 40th anniversary, and more importantly, shared our first big update on The Elder Scrolls 6. It’s a name drop!
The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel is the full name of the upcoming future entry in one of the most popular and beloved open world RPG series.
Despite not having a new entry since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim released in 2011.
I didn’t even have kids then, and my oldest is in high school now!
The Official Name Reveal for The Elder Scrolls 6 does just that, without showing anything more. We’re teased with an image of a titular Elder Scroll, and a prophetic quote:
“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.”
Yazar, Moth Priest to High Queen Iradne of Hammerfell (4E 206)
The ancient scrolls feature prominently throughout the fantasy series, though actually reading and deciphering the rare relics is nearly impossible.
Sentinel is a major capital city in the region of Hammerfell, and judging by the location given in the quote, safe to say the rumors of a Hammerfell setting are confirmed.
Past Elder Scrolls games have taken place within a single region of Tamriel, the high fantasy world of the series. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was set in the volcanic island of Vvardenfell. Oblivion, the fourth game, took place in the Imperial region of Cyrodiil, and Skryim was named after the snowy mountainous region of its setting.
Hammerfell is located southwest of Skyrim, and west of Cyrodiil, and home to the Redguard people. The Mediterranean-like region is hoem to ancient dwarven ruins and a variety of biomes, from deserts to jungles, swamps, and grasslands. It also features a large bay area. Hopefully we’ll get some proper water interactions!
The 40th Anniversary Celebration was a nice video showcasing the studio and their long-tenured history (fun fact: they started with sports sims in the ’80s!).
Bethesda’s most recent release was a well-received remaster of Oblivion. Before that, Starfield launched as a sci-fi take on the open world RPG formula, but mostly failed to excite players (including me). Bethesda also publishes AAA games from developers including MachineGames (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), id Software (Doom: The Dark Ages) and Obsidian Entertainment (Grounded 2).
