Bethesda has stated that its development roadmap for The Elder Scrolls 6 remains unaffected by the recent wave of layoffs across Xbox-owned studios. This assertion comes amidst reports from multiple Bethesda staff members who suggested the redundancies would have a significant impact on the game's development.
In early July, approximately 3,200 employees across various Xbox studios were laid off. Following this, several individuals at Bethesda indicated to IGN that the job cuts would have "substantial and cascading effects" on The Elder Scrolls 6. However, Bethesda has since communicated that the "most significant restructure in Xbox history" will not alter the game's projected timeline.
MrMattyPlays, a content creator, detailed these assurances in a video on July 22, after submitting questions directly to Bethesda. When asked about concerns regarding potential delays for The Elder Scrolls 6 due to the layoffs, the studio's response was direct: "No, the roadmap is unaffected."
This statement arrives as Bethesda has also announced four new Fallout titles, including Fallout 5, which is reportedly in pre-production. Simultaneously, 440 employees at Bethesda and ZeniMax, both owned by Xbox, were among those laid off. The Elder Scrolls Online team has already confirmed that "roadmaps [they] previously shared will be shifting" as a consequence.
Bethesda also mentioned to MrMattyPlays that it continues to work on "optimizations" for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. The studio further claimed that the recent spate of announcements was not mandated by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.
"Look, we read the internet too," Bethesda reportedly stated in an email to the YouTuber. "All of our fans and plenty of creators have been asking for us to lay out our road map for a long time. As bits of info or announcements come out individually, they get lost in the larger picture of all we’re doing as a studio. So, we felt it was best to do it all at once and paint a clear picture for everyone. This is a shift in our approach to communication that Bethesda Game Studios has been contemplating for some time now."
Given the timing of the layoffs and the scale of the announcements, Bethesda's assertion that The Elder Scrolls 6's development remains unhindered faces skepticism. The conflicting information, stemming from employee claims and the studio's official statements, creates a complex picture regarding the future of its upcoming titles.