Eight years on from its reveal at E3 2018, The Elder Scrolls VI has finally broken its silence. Bethesda Softworks has just unveiled the real title of its next RPG, which will be known as The Elder Scrolls VI Sentinel. The announcement came with a very short teaser, dropped as part of the studio's 40th anniversary celebrations. No gameplay, no in-game footage, not even a single image to give us a sense of how far along development is. That new name, however, may well have given the game away regarding which part of Tamriel players will get to explore. To understand why "Sentinel" is such an intriguing clue, you need to dig back into the geography of the world Bethesda has built. Sentinel is a port city in the province of Hammerfell, homeland of the Redguards, a people renowned for their prowess in combat and their particular affinity with the blade. The choice of name is hardly incidental, especially since several theories were already pointing towards an adventure set in this corner of Tamriel, to the south-west of Skyrim.
The teaser Bethesda put out adds a few more pieces to the puzzle, showing a desert environment reminiscent of the Alik'r, a vast expanse within Hammerfell. The video also closes on a scroll bearing a text attributed to Yazar, described as a priest in the service of the Queen of Sentinel. It's dated to the year 206 of the Fourth Era, five years after the events of Skyrim. Everything points towards Hammerfell, then, even if Bethesda has yet to officially confirm where its next RPG takes place. Previous leaks and fan theories had already floated the possibility of exploring the area around the Iliac Bay, which separates Hammerfell from High Rock. That hypothesis carries a bit more weight today with the title reveal. Bruce Nesmith, former lead designer on Skyrim, recently said he hoped this was indeed the right track. A region like that could open the door to a feature players have wanted for years, namely the ability to sail a ship and explore the seas.
As for everything else, you'll need to sit tight a while longer. In the anniversary video, Todd Howard explained that Bethesda wanted to use the occasion to reveal the game's official name, but the studio immediately cautioned that it would be some time yet before it could share anything more. No gameplay was shown and no release window was given. Xbox leadership recently insisted that development is progressing well, though that tells us nothing about when the game might actually be ready. Early estimates point to a 2028 or 2029 release, but Bethesda has never confirmed those dates. One thing's for certain: Skyrim fans will have to wait a good while longer before they get to set foot in this new adventure. What's another eight years between friends, eh...
