Elder Scrolls 6 Xbox exclusivity hinted at by Phil Spencer

Skyrim
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Elder Scrolls 6 Xbox exclusivity is looking increasingly likely as Phil Spencer has hinted at it in a new interview. 

Speaking to GQ, the Xbox chief implied that Elder Scrolls 6 would follow in the footsteps of Starfield by launching exclusively on Microsoft's platform. That decision, however, is "not about punishing any other platform," but is part of an attempt to offer a "complete package" to Xbox fans.

"In order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls VI. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises."

That's not likely to be good news for PlayStation fans of the other studios brought into the Xbox family as part of the Zenimax acquisition that was completed earlier this year, like Deathloop developer Arkane or Doom's iD Software, but it also shouldn't come as much of a surprise. 

Bethesda's Pete Hines confirmed that Starfield PS5 is not happening back in August, with reports that Elder Scrolls 6 was a "planned" Xbox exclusive following shortly after. Since the buyout, Microsoft has made clear that Zenimax's final PlayStation obligations - Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo - would be met, but after that, the situation would change.

Whatever platforms the Skyrim follow-up launches on, it's likely to be several years before it arrives. Last week, Todd Howard hinted that the Elder Scrolls 6 might not arrive until 2026, pointing to Starfield's launch next year and the four to five year development period that Bethesda is working within. 

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Ali Jones
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I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.