Todd Howard confirms Elder Scrolls 6 is Bethesda's main focus, Fallout 3 and New Vegas remakes in the works

Todd Howard has broken his silence on the state of Bethesda Game Studios, confirming The Elder Scrolls 6 as the studio's primary development focus, revealing Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remakes, and acknowledging Obsidian Entertainment's return to the Fallout universe. The announcements came via a public note from Howard on Bethesda's site and separate interviews with Bloomberg's Jason Schreier and Windows Central's Jez Corden.

The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are both being built on Creation Engine 3 — a shared tech platform Bethesda has been developing since Starfield's launch. Howard described TES 6 as where the team "planned it to be, loving how it looks, and playing every day," with the majority of BGS staff currently on the project. Fallout 5 is in pre-production. Neither game has a release window, and Howard declined to comment on platform exclusivity, saying it's too early to discuss. Starfield is continuing into year three, with new Starborn DLC content planned for next year and ongoing Creation Club investment — Howard noted over 17 million players have logged nearly a billion hours. A major Fallout 76 DLC called Raven Rock, described as a prequel to Fallout 3, is also coming next year. ZeniMax Online Studios — previously running The Elder Scrolls Online and a now-canceled sci-fi MMO — is being repositioned as a support studio aligned more directly with Bethesda's Elder Scrolls franchise.

The announcements land in the wake of Xbox's sweeping "reset" under new CEO Asha Sharma, which resulted in over 3,000 layoffs across Microsoft's gaming division and several studios being spun out. Howard acknowledged the cuts were difficult, drawing a parallel to a period in the '90s when Bethesda nearly went out of business. The exclusivity question around TES 6 and Fallout 5 carries real weight: Microsoft told the FTC during the 2023 Activision hearings that TES 6 "may be released only on Xbox and PC," and Starfield launched as a console exclusive before underperforming commercially. Xbox's new strategy under Sharma has already confirmed Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as console exclusives, making Howard's non-answer on platforms more loaded than it might otherwise seem.

Community reaction is cautiously optimistic — the confirmation of Fallout 3 and New Vegas remakes and Obsidian's new Fallout game are the clear highlights, though the lack of any release windows or trailers for TES 6 (announced at E3 2018 and still without a re-reveal) means the wait continues. Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty told Variety last month that TES 6 "looks amazing" but isn't ready for a public reveal yet. Howard's closing message framed everything as building toward "the future of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Starfield" — a studio betting its next decade on franchises it's been building for forty years.