The Elder Scrolls VI, as expected, will be exclusive to Xbox and PC, according to an internal Microsoft document.
This document was presented during the trial between Microsoft and the North American Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the purchase of Activision Blizzard, and it clearly specifies that Bethesda’s future RPG will not reach Sony consoles.
Curiously, in that same trial Phil Spencer stated that “I think we have been unclear when it comes to saying what platforms it will be published on. It is difficult for us to specify it right now… it is so far away that it is difficult to understand even what platforms it will be on that moment”.
The table included in the document illustrated Microsoft’s approach to exclusivity following its purchase of Bethesda in 2021. It specified that four games from the studio had been published or would continue to be developed on PlayStation (Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo , both with a previously signed temporary exclusivity contract, and the online titles The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76), but that the next three (Redfall and Starfield, both already on sale, and the future The Elder Scrolls VI) would be released only for Xbox and PC.
At the time, Microsoft lawyers said that “three future titles will be exclusive to Xbox and PC,” although they did not clarify which ones they were. At the time it was speculated that two of them were Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI (something we now know for sure), and the third was Indiana Jones, as confirmed in an email from Pete Hines a few months ago.
Regarding the release date of The Elder Scrolls VI, something that we already knew is also confirmed: that it will not be produced for several years. Phil Spencer said in June that it was probably still “five years away,” but the document suggests that the plan is for it to arrive in 2026 or later.
