Elder Scrolls 6, announced five years ago, is still "five-plus years away"

According to testimony delivered by Microsoft's Phil Spencer in court, Elder Scrolls VI is still "five-plus years away."

Spencer had been speaking about what platforms the next Elder Scrolls game might appear on during day two of hearings as the FTC seek an injunction to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

"I think we’ve been a little unclear on what platforms it will launch on given how far out the game is. It’s difficult for us right now to nail down exactly what platforms that game will launch on," said Spencer, as reported by IGN.

"As I said with Elder Scrolls 6, it’s so far out it’s hard to understand what the platforms will even be at this point. It’s the same team that’s finishing Starfield, which comes out this September. So we’re talking about it being likely five-plus years away."

It's hardly a surprise, given the scale of Bethesda RPGs, that the next Elder Scrolls is a long way out. Last week Todd Howard told IGN that Elder Scrolls 6, given his age, "may be the last" game he works on - and he's obviously currently focused on shipping Starfield. It perhaps makes it harder to explain why they chose to announce Elder Scrolls VI existed five years ago, in 2018, which pre-dates Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda.

Spencer's comments in court differ from his previous suggestion that Elder Scrolls VI would be Xbox and PC exclusive.

The FTC are suing to block Microsoft's proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard on anti-competition grounds. Those hearings aren't due to begin until August, but this week's hearings are an attempt to prevent Microsoft completing the deal beforehand.