In news that isn’t likely to be much of a surprise to anyone at this point, a newly unearthed Microsoft court document has confirmed The Elder Scrolls 6 won’t be making its way to PlayStation whenever it eventually shows up – reiterated to be no sooner than 2026.
Microsoft submitted the document (thanks The Verge) as part of its court battle with the US Federal Trade Commission over its proposed $69bn USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard – the same court proceedings that saw Xbox boss Phil Spencer answer an FTC attorney’s questions about The Elder Scrolls 6’s Xbox exclusivity by saying, “I think we’ve been a little unclear on what platforms it’s launching on, given how far out the game is. It’s difficult for us right now to nail down… It’s so far out it’s hard to understand what the platforms will even be at this point.”
Despite Spencer’s evasive answer back in June, Microsoft’s newly released court documents make it explicitly clear The Elder Scrolls 6 won’ be coming to a PlayStation console. As per an table intended to illustrate Microsoft’s approach to exclusivity following its acquisition of Bethesda in 2018, the company noted four of the studio’s games were released on PlayStation (the initially PlayStation-exlcuisve Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop, as well as Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online), while Bethesda’s next three titles – the already released Redfall and Starfield, and the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6 – will be Xbox and PC only.
This also ties up a few loose ends from another court document submitted as part of the FTC’s case last year, in which Microsoft lawyers noted that “three future titles….will be exclusive to Xbox and PCs”. At the time, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 were both assumed to be included in that list – which we obviously now know to be true – and thanks to yet another court reveal earlier this year, we also know Bethesda’s third Xbox and PC exclusive will be Indiana Jones.
As for when The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely emerge, Microsoft’s court documents reiterate it’s still a long way off. Back in June, Phil Spencer noted the game – which was announced in June 2018 – was likely to be “five-plus years away” given it’s being handled by the same team as the recently released Starfield. And Microsoft’s latest court document reveal supports that, noting The Elder Scrolls 6 is “TBC, but expected 2026 or later”.
