I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from right after Xbox announced layoffs for 1,600 employees across a myriad of studios, with 1,600 more coming in the next 12 months. It didn’t matter who you were a part of – Activision, King, Mojang, Blizzard, Bethesda – everyone was under the radar. Aside from studios like Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, Double Fine, and Undead Labs, which either went independent or were acquired.

Now, Xbox didn’t come out and say which studios were affected, but based on reports and WARN notices issued in Maryland, the devastation is significant. ZeniMax Online Studios, responsible for The Elder Scrolls Online, had 213 layoffs, raising huge questions over the MMO’s sustainability (there were reportedly 300 employees in 2025).

The Outer Worlds 2 developer reportedly saw 25 percent of its studio laid off, about 60 to 70 employees, with Avowed 2 cancelled and a new Fallout in development. Plans for the latter are apparently still up in the air, but considering Xbox’s desire to focus on “high-priority projects,” it wouldn’t be surprising if it went through. id Software is a shell of its former self, after 136 layoffs.

By comparison, Bethesda would seem not to have suffered much, with over 50 employees laid off. However, current and former employees at the studio recently contacted IGN to reveal that these will directly impact the development of The Elder Scrolls 6. “Their loss will have a substantial and cascading effect on the game and morale of this studio,” said a staff member.

We’re not talking about QA and marketing either – one individual said that it’s a mix of “every discipline: programmers, artists, and designers.” This seemingly includes Christiane Meister, a long-time lead character artist whose resume includes every single major Bethesda Game Studios title, including Morrowind. For a company prioritizing the projects that matter most, removing experienced developers doesn’t rank among its smartest decisions. I mean, there’s a scale for self-destructiveness, and this is dangerously approaching the lower end.

How is Xbox making up for this? The only way it seemingly knows how: Contractors. A developer said that there’s “a fear that we are going to be replaced by cheaper, contracted labor.” And even if new regular employees are hired, albeit for cheaper because the publisher doesn’t want to maintain experienced talent, they’ll need time to be brought up to speed with Creation Engine 3 and other proprietary tools.

That could mean more delays, and as that individual notes, “We’ll need to crunch to make up the time.” Another said that the studio has been “very excited and hyped for The Elder Scrolls 6 and this has had a crushing effect on morale.” Oddly enough, the team was apparently “already running a tight ship and are worried about this delaying the game,” even though a release date is still undecided.

Of course, Xbox seems to think differently, as Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claimed that The Elder Scrolls 6 would launch in two years or more. If it actually arrives by 2028, that would make it a decade since its initial announcement, give or take several months. If it arrives later in that year, then we’re looking at 17 years since the release of Skyrim.

Backing up a bit, you might not feel the most sympathy for Bethesda. It chose to reveal The Elder Scrolls 6 so early, though at the time, it was more to reassure fans that the studio wasn’t giving up on single-player titles after announcing Fallout 76. And make no mistake – that was a decision from studio leadership rather than those in the trenches who actually had to make the game.

It also chose Creation Engine, now in its third iteration, due to its comfort, despite criticisms that have emerged against it for years and years. Everyone talks about tech debt and how it would be better for Bethesda to continue with the engine rather than trying to start afresh on Unreal Engine 5, and they weren’t wrong. But they probably didn’t count on Xbox getting rid of the most experienced people who could get the most out of Creation Engine.

One could look at this as the publisher wanting to finally deliver such a hotly anticipated property to its fans. We know it’s a business at the end of the day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes an Xbox console exclusive. Besides all the issues with that strategy, even for an established IP like The Elder Scrolls, this doesn’t come across as looking out for the franchise’s most loyal players. The term “spreadsheet decision” is going around regarding these layoffs, because that’s exactly how Xbox views them – as talent that’s either too expensive or not worth paying despite their experience. And if it’s not going to involve those who have been on the same engine for all this time, then it’s not looking to deliver the best possible experience.

Instead, it’s simply about getting the game out and cashing in on it, or at the very least, having something to show that could drive up Xbox’s value. Rumors have been going around about the division potentially being spun off or sold to another entity, and what better way to make it look more valuable, especially at a cheaper price courtesy of less expensive talent, than a new Elder Scrolls game? Heck, toss in a new Fallout as well for good measure.

If all of this is true, none of it will translate into a better game. We’ve seen the effects of crunch – remember the fiasco surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, which ultimately pushed CD Projekt RED to overhaul its development methods to avoid the same. If a studio as talented as that suffered, who’s to say that Bethesda, which is already eight years into the game’s announcement, will fare any better?

To be clear, I’m not saying that letting Todd Howard and the lads continue as they always have and waiting another eight years is the solution. I’m not even saying he and the likes of Emil Pagliarulo, regardless of your feelings on his writing, should have been the ones to go. But in the same vein, getting rid of the lifeblood of the studio, the ones who have actually carried it across multiple failures and controversial decisions, is not much better of an option. Relying on contractors, which worked wonders for the development of Halo Infinite, to save some money is also not the best decision, and hiring cheaper talent, hoping that they’ll pick things up as they go along…well, you get the idea.

At this point, it’s clear that Xbox isn’t concerned with anything other than getting a popular product out and cashing in on it. But there’s a big difference between doing business and effectively ruining a title with immeasurable hype, even if everyone is going to pre-order it anyway. Unfortunately, if the fates of The Elder Scrolls Online and id Software are any indication, it’s that Xbox’s respect for video game lineages and developers only goes so far.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The worst part is that this includes “key, high-performing people in the trenches” who were working on The Elder Scrolls 6. “Their loss will have a substantial and cascading effect on the game and morale of this studio.” Another individual said that layoffs have comprised “a mix of every discipline: programmers, artists, and designers. One person who’s been at the company since Morrowind was cut.”

Unfortunately, the days ahead aren’t likely to get any easier. One developer said that the team is worried about being “replaced by cheaper, contracted labor.” Alternatively, it may “hire folks to replace them that will need to be onboarded (our tools are proprietary, other devs aren’t going to know how they work), resulting in more delays, and we’ll need to crunch to make up the time.”

Announced in June 2018, there’s been a lot of hype around The Elder Scrolls 6, further fueled by the lack of information and updates from Bethesda. Given how influential Skyrim has been, and how popular it remains today, it’s a given that even the development team was looking forward to it.

But after these layoffs, things have reportedly taken a significant turn. Another staff member said, “We’ve all been very excited and hyped for The Elder Scrolls 6, and this has had a crushing effect on morale. We were already running a tight ship and are worried about this delaying the game (though a final release date was not yet chosen as far as we know).”

The Elder Scrolls 6 doesn’t have a release date, though Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claims it’s still two or more years out (which would make it more than a decade after its initial reveal). How much of that will be influenced by Bethesda crunching to get the game done? Time will tell, so stay tuned for further updates.

In the meantime, Bethesda and Microsoft have both continued to maintain silence on the subject, and neither of the companies have offered any details about a potential release window for the highly-anticipated open-world RPG.

The closest we have seen to any official statement on the subject has been director Todd Howard, who described The Elder Scrolls 6 as “our biggest project right now.” He acknowledged that there have been many fans eagerly waiting for the game since it was first unveiled all the way back in 2018. “We know we need to get it right, and it’s been a long time,” he said.

Xbox CCO Matt Booty was asked about the state of The Elder Scrolls 6 last month, and while he didn’t quite reveal any details, he said that the project has been “coming along well”.

“I would say one of the more challenging balancing acts of someone in a job like mine is balancing that you want to go show the world all the cool stuff you’re working on, and you want to get them excited early, but we also know that we want to wait till the right moment,” he said.

“And when you decide to show it, you want it to be the best you’ve got. And also that when you show the game, you’re also giving them a promise of, hey, it’s coming soon. So I can tell you, having visited Bethesda and sat with Todd and seen ‘Elder Scrolls‘ playing, it looks amazing, and it’s coming along well. And we’ll make sure to announce it and really reveal it at the right time.”

Howard had confirmed back in March that most of Bethesda has been working on The Elder Scrolls 6. He also referred to the game’s development process as feeling quite refreshing for the team, since it’s quite different from the studio’s last two major single-player releases – Fallout 4 and Starfield.

“The majority of this building is working on The Elder Scrolls 6,” he said. “It’s amazing for us to come back to it. I gotta be honest, right? Being in that world after not developing in Elder Scrolls – it’s so different than Starfield, so different than Fallout – it feels great for us.”

Interestingly, former Bethesda developer and lead designer on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Bruce Nesmith, had spoken about how the studio likely doesn’t want to rush development since it risks “disappointing fans”. He went into detail about the processes of software design, where developers often have to balance three aspects: resource, time, and quality.

He explained that reducing development time would lead to “either increasing resources or reducing features, or both,” before going on to note that “resources in most big studios are already quite large, and it takes to onboard them.”

Studio head Jill Braff allegedly sent out an email to staff, noting that these changes “reflect the realities of our industry and business – and our responsibility to ensure Bethesda is operating from a more stable foundation.”

“To be successful in the future, we need to change course. We must strengthen our business, return to sustainable growth, and ensure we can continue investing in our franchises and our players. I know that doesn’t make a day like today any easier.”

The current plan (until it isn’t the plan, as Xbox CEO Asha Sharma would say) is “to best position Bethesda for future growth.” According to Braff, that apparently means “shifting from a planning model primarily centered on what’s next for each independent studio to one that focuses on our strongest franchises and determining the content roadmap that best serves our players and Bethesda as a whole.”

That would certainly align with rumors that anyone not working on The Elder Scrolls and Fallout is at risk. Of course, there are some exceptions, as Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier noted that work would continue on Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein. The latter reportedly has a TV show and sequel in the works, and seems relatively safe, even having some involvement with Arkane Studios (which is currently undergoing consultations).

With the demand for Fallout 5 and The Elder Scrolls 6 (announced over eight years with still no release date), you could argue that Bethesda should have shifted focus years ago. Of course, this seemingly means that Starfield is left in the dust following a disappointing new DLC and the Free Lanes Update, which failed to really reignite player interest, at least going by Steam numbers.

Stay tuned for more updates because, given the scale of layoffs, there are likely to be more changes inbound.

Spoiler warning for Fallout’s second season finale below.

With the season 2 finale of Fallout having set up Colorado as the main location for season 3, Howard has hinted that there will be many new locations that the characters will get to visit along the way.

“We talked about this at the end of Season 2, hinting we’re going to new places,” he said. “So, one of the things that we all love about Fallout is the geography of the world and being able to show some new things in the Fallout world that I think will surprise people, that they’ve never seen before in the games.”

Howard’s tease echoes what co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet had said in an interview with IGN back in February. Noting that the Fallout universe, especially in the games, is known for distracting its protagonists with side stories, she hinted that viewers of season 3 can expect similar things to happen in the show.

“We want to remind viewers that just because The Ghoul is heading to Colorado, of course this is the Wasteland where you always get sidetracked by bulls*** every goddamn time,” she said. “So how long will it take him to get there, or will he get there in the first episode of the next season? We will have to wait to find out. It may not be as linear a journey as one would hope.”

“Yeah, look, there’s a lot of surprises coming,” added Howard in the same interview. “We talk about it a lot. And so what I’d say is geography plays such a part into the world of Fallout, and seeing what’s there. And there’s a lot of land out there; there’s a lot of places to explore yet. It’s exciting for us to do that in games. And it’s really exciting to do it in a TV show where we can jump locations. I wouldn’t presume too much yet; I know we’re hinting at stuff, but there’s a lot of surprises to come.”

This sense of exploration driving the story of the Fallout series was a major influence on how the showrunners were writing the series, according to Robertson-Dworet.

“Well, it came out of many conversations about how the games are of course regional. One of the delights of finding out there’s going to be a new Fallout game is immediately the question of like, well, where is it going to be set? And of course, our first season being LA, second season being New Vegas, we were excited to go to fresh snow.”

Fallout’s third season will also feature new characters, one of whom will be played by Aaron Paul, who is known for playing Jesse Pinkman in the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad.

While neither Zenimax nor Microsoft have made any official announcement regarding the matter, Broussard cites unnamed sources, saying that the job cuts and studio closures might go much deeper than many had previously believed.

“Getting word that layoffs at Zenimax has begun. Heard rumblings recently that the cuts may be much deeper than you expect. Buckle up!”

This means that studios like id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, and id Software are likely going to be hit by a round of layoffs as well. Whether or not there are plans for studio closures across Zenimax, however, remains unknown.

Responding to another post indicating that anyone who isn’t actively working on Elder Scrolls and Fallout projects was being cut from the company, Broussar said, “Oh, is that public now? That’s exactly what I heard a few days ago. Guess we’re about to see.”

If these layoffs have already started, employees are likely just being notified about whether or not they are being cut for the time being. Microsoft will likely continue to wait until after its current fiscal year ends on June 30th before the planned layoffs and studio closures start kicking in.

Among the studios seemingly being targeted for closure is Hellblade franchise developer Ninja Theory. A recent report indicated that Microsoft had planned to shutter the studio even before its newest project – Senua – was showcased during Xbox’s recent event. The report noted that the trailer was shown in an attempt to attract investors that might help Ninja Theory spin off into an independent studio.

Double Fine – the studio behind Kiln and Keeper – and Compulsion Games – known for South of Midnight – are also believed to be targeted for closure. However, reports have indicated that both studios, along with Ninja Theory, have begun negotiations with Microsoft to go independent rather than just being shut down.

According to recent reports, these decisions are being made according to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s plans to mitigate the revenue losses that have been faced by the entire division. In a recent post on Xbox Wire, Sharma, along with CCO Matt Booty, discussed the falling revenue coming in despite $20 billion being spent on investments in content, platform, and hardware subsidies. “Going forward, this cannot continue,” they wrote.

Xbox is also facing major troubles on the hardware side of things, since the recent shortages in memory and storage modules have led to the company’s expenses in making Xbox Series X/S consoles to skyrocket. While it has tried to mitigate this by raising the console’s price, the company has also notably been unable to keep store shelves stocked despite there already being a demand for the consoles.

Leading up to these layoffs, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has said that Xbox shows a “basic misunderstanding” of how the gaming industry works.

However, in the here and now, we celebrate a different occasion. It’s been eight years since Bethesda Game Studios revealed that The Elder Scrolls 6 was in development. Almost seven years after the release of Skyrim, the next chapter in the epic fantasy RPG series was finally upon us. That one teaser would be dissected for a good long while, as fans theorized and opined. Will we finally venture to Hammerfell? Maybe Highrock? Perhaps both or somewhere else entirely?

Eight years later, let’s check in on what XBOX chief content officer Matt Booty had to say about the game to Variety.

“Having visited Bethesda and sat with Todd and seen ‘Elder Scrolls‘ playing, it looks amazing, and it’s coming along well. And we’ll make sure to announce it and really reveal it at the right time.”

Now, there’s more context to be had from his overall answer. Before this, Booty said that, “One of the more challenging balancing acts of someone in a job like mine is balancing that you want to go show the world all the cool stuff you’re working on, and you want to get them excited early, but we also know that we want to wait till the right moment. And when you decide to show it, you want it to be the best you’ve got. And also that when you show the game, you’re also giving them a promise of, hey, it’s coming soon.”

That is all understandable and realistic on the surface, but it also discounts the fact that it was announced eight years ago. Eight years later, we still don’t know the official name. We haven’t seen any gameplay or learned when it’s releasing. Remember when former Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said it was likely five-plus years away back in June 2023? More than halfway past that mark, and it’s looking like it could be another five years.

Where the hell is The Elder Scrolls 6? Why is it taking so long?

We’d be remiss not to mention that Bethesda has been busy with other things, like re-releasing Fallout 4 and Skyrim, and breaking their mods for the community. Or Starfield, which itself took an eye-watering eight years to develop, meaning it was in the works when the studio was busy wrapping up Fallout 4. Granted, it ultimately removed a lot in terms of combat and weapon options, but I digress. We’ve certainly dogpiled enough on Todd Howard’s radical space adventure for a good long while.

So what is happening with The Elder Scrolls 6? Well, Howard said last December that it’s “progressing really well,” though he wishes it could go faster (yes, this was last December). It definitely has more trees than Skyrim, which was confirmed a few days later. And before that in November, he revealed that it was still a long way off, though it passed the “quite playable milestone” in July 2025.

There has been more recent information, from the team confirming that it’s developed on Creation Engine 3 and that they’re “happy where it’s headed,” and that the “majority of this building” – referring to Bethesda’s HQ in Maryland – is working on it. But on the other hand, Howard is now only half-joking that you should “pretend that we didn’t announce it.”

Which is funny because if you go back to what former SVP of marketing Pete Hines said in 2018, the announcement was made (alongside Starfield) for the sake of transparency. Why would they need that, effectively defusing any “hysteria” around what was next? Well, because Bethesda had Fallout 76 coming up and it didn’t want fans thinking that it was just working on multiplayer games.

Yes, that’s really it.

All that aside, however, Howard and the rest of the development team have made it clear that they want to take their time with the game. When factoring in the new management at XBOX and their recent moves, there’s probably an incentive to present this as a major exclusive somewhere down the line. It may even have looked at Starfield and decided that Bethesda needs to move beyond it, delivering something comparable to its best work.

All of that is a noble endeavor indeed, but unless Creation Engine 3 is a massive leap over its predecessor, which is what Starfield is built on, more time spent means more risks of Bethesda’s design and technology becoming outdated. Look at Fallout 4 and how it felt archaic next to games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

It’s also been made clear that Bethesda is operating with a different set of expectations. While immersion definitely formed much of Skyrim’s appeal, it was also several side quests and the overall world that helped it stand out. The studio’s writing has only gotten worse over the past eight years – the jury’s out on whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will really change that. So can Creation Engine 3 really carry the series forward in terms of gameplay or world design?

This probably isn’t even a question of the engine but what the developer wants to achieve. After all, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a pretty immersive experience with branching quests and extensive depth on CryEngine. Fable offers 1,000 handcrafted NPCs and some pretty deep interactions with its Reputation system (based on what we’ve seen thus far). Crimson Desert has already showcased that you can have a world much larger than Skyrim with a strong amount of reactive elements while delivering higher visual fidelity, better combat, and a wider variety of side activities. And lest we forget, that began development in 2018. Add another one to the list, to say nothing of the incredible turnaround of fixes, changes, improvements and new features in just three months. How long did it take for Starfield “Not 2.0” to happen again?

Of course, as always, Bethesda is going to do what it wants to do, which is fully reveal The Elder Scrolls 6 several months out from release. This would be fine if it followed the Fallout 4 or even the Fallout 76 marketing cycle. Instead, due to some half-baked plan to keep its fans from panicking, it’s created an unfathomable set of expectations on top of what’s already there. And while it could – and should – focus on the essence of The Elder Scrolls, and deliver an unforgettable experience – one that fans will play for over a decade, as Howard hopes – it can’t ignore them entirely.

Sure, it’ll still sell millions of copies, and notch up an impressive 20 million or so Game Pass players (not necessarily in that order). But maybe Bethesda needs to change things up, and let fans in on the ground floor sooner. If not for the sake of keeping them in the loop and restoring some goodwill, then to simply gauge feedback on whether it’s going in the right direction.

Or it could just subsist in this no-win situation and try, as always, to do better with Fallout 5 or whatever else is next. And thus, the cycle repeats.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Speaking to XBOX chief content officer Matt Booty, Variety asked how he dealt with excitement for a potential appearance alongside the disappointment? “I would say one of the more challenging balancing acts of someone in a job like mine is balancing that you want to go show the world all the cool stuff you’re working on, and you want to get them excited early, but we also know that we want to wait till the right moment,” he said.

“And when you decide to show it, you want it to be the best you’ve got. And also that when you show the game, you’re also giving them a promise of, hey, it’s coming soon. So I can tell you, having visited Bethesda and sat with Todd and seen ‘Elder Scrolls‘ playing, it looks amazing, and it’s coming along well. And we’ll make sure to announce it and really reveal it at the right time.”

The Elder Scrolls 6 is developed on Creation Engine 3, with director Todd Howard stating the “majority of this building”, referring to Bethesda’s HQ, is working on it. He spoke last December about how it’s “progressing really well,” though once again, there’s been no indication for when it could be revealed. If anything, Howard would prefer fans pretend that Bethesda didn’t even announce it in the first place.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered helped take some of the edge off when it launched last year, but the lack of post-launch support and lingering issues have left a sour taste in fans’ mouths. Remasters for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are allegedly in the works, but they’re seemingly a ways off.

So for now, all that’s really left to do is wait and watch the Bethesda logo appear at a showcase, and hope.

On The Xbox Two podcast with Rand al Thor, the duo discussed newly appointed XBOX chief strategy officer Matthew Ball and his statement about reviving “storied” franchises. When the former said this might mean Fallout, Corden responded, “I’ve heard that like, I don’t know how true this is, but one thing I heard is Fallout remasters are probably a little bit further off than people think, and The Elder Scrolls 6 is still quite far away. I suppose that getting some of those games out more quickly is probably something they’re probably very thinking is top of mind for them.”

Both believe that the alleged Fallout remasters could arrive starting next year, if not “at least one of them.” Corden went a step further, theorizing that perhaps The Elder Scrolls 6 could launch in 2028 or even 2029. At this point, launching any time before the decade is up would be a miracle.

Bethesda’s Todd Howard has said on more than one occasion that multiple Fallout projects are in the works, and that Fallout 5 would eventually have its time. Whether that includes Fallout 3 Remastered remains unknown, but rumors claim it’s aiming for the same level of polish as The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered (hopefully with better post-launch support).

As for The Elder Scrolls 6, Howard said last March that the “majority of this building” (referring to Bethesda) was working on the title. It’s developed on Creation Engine 3, and the team is “happy where it’s headed”, but sit tight because the team is taking its sweet time with it.

Aaron Paul, whom you might know from Breaking Bad and Westworld, is going to be the new face joining the show’s next season, although details about his character and role in the narrative are yet to be disclosed. Deadline has also reported on a couple of Annabel O’Hagan, whose take on Steph was an absolute treat, and Dave Register, who brought the childlike Chet to life, becoming regulars in the new season. They’ll definitely be welcome additions, especially considering everything thus far.

It remains to be seen if Paul’s presence in the third season is going to produce any interesting effects like the second potentially has. Regardless, we’re definitely eager to see where the writers take us after all the shenanigans we’ve already been privy to.

Of course, this is far from the end for the successful TV show, especially with actor Aaron Morten (Maximus) claiming it would last for five to six seasons.