The Elder Scrolls 6 may finally get its real name soon, and if the reports are right, it's one fans have been guessing for months. The Verge has reported that the game's full title, The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel, will be revealed as early as next month, according to Video Games Chronicle and GamesRadar+.
This is a report, not an announcement. Xarmo couldn't check The Verge's report directly, so everything below is attributed to the outlets passing it on, and neither of them reports any confirmation from Bethesda or Microsoft.
What's reported
- The name. VGC says the game is believed to be called The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel, and that the reveal may be timed for the 15th anniversary of Skyrim on November 11.
- Title only. GamesRadar+ says only the official title will reportedly be revealed next month, with nothing new beyond that. VGC says the setting wasn't expected to be revealed alongside the name.
- The setting. Both outlets say The Verge's report puts the game in Hammerfell. GamesRadar+ says that confirms rumours of a return to the region as the main setting.
- The theme. According to VGC, the report claims the game will look at the history of the Elder Scrolls and help uncover their secrets.
- It's being played internally. GamesRadar+ says Bethesda Game Studios has been showing gameplay internally in recent months, including a live playthrough that new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma watched.
Hammerfell, briefly
GamesRadar+ notes that Hammerfell hasn't been seen very much in recent Elder Scrolls games. Both outlets list where it has turned up: The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, and The Elder Scrolls Online.
VGC notes that the reported setting fits fan theories placing the game around Iliac Bay and Sentinel. Iliac Bay is the body of water between High Rock and Hammerfell, and Sentinel is a region within Hammerfell.
That theory has a notable fan. VGC reports that Bruce Nesmith, the former Bethesda veteran who was lead designer on Skyrim, said last month he hoped it was true, because a bay setting could open the series up to boats. "Setting Elder Scrolls VI in Iliac Bay, you're setting yourself up for a big expansion into seafaring stuff," he told GoHumanize, as quoted by VGC. He went on: "It could be really cool. We might get entire skill trees allowing you to walk on water or have boats that allow you to do more than just sail your boat."
The timing
GamesRadar+ points out that it has been 15 years since Skyrim, the last mainline Elder Scrolls game, and that a reveal next month would land close to Grand Theft Auto 6, which comes out on November 19. A title reveal isn't competing with a launch, GamesRadar+ adds, but the timing stands out.
Jax's take: A name on Skyrim's birthday would be a tidy bit of fan service, and Sentinel lines up with months of fan theories. But a title is just a title. Until Bethesda puts it on screen itself, treat Sentinel and Hammerfell as a well-sourced maybe, and don't expect a release date to come with it.
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