The Elder Scrolls VI finally has a name, but it does not have a platform list. Bethesda revealed the title The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel, and IGN argues the game will show how serious Xbox is about exclusives.
That question matters more than the subtitle. Sentinel is the biggest game Microsoft owns, and where it launches will say a lot about the future of Xbox.
What Bethesda Revealed
The name arrived at the end of a 40th anniversary video from Bethesda Game Studios, IGN reports. The game is set in Hammerfell, where Sentinel is a port city on the Iliac Bay.
Bethesda kept expectations in check. “Development continues, and while it’ll be some time before we’re ready to share more, it feels great to finally reveal the name and location with you,” the studio wrote on X.
No release date or platforms were announced. IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey estimates the game is at least two years away and points to fall 2028 as a possible window.
READ: The Elder Scrolls VI Officially Has a Title
Xbox Has Done This Before
An Elder Scrolls exclusive would not be new. Morrowind reached consoles only on the original Xbox in 2002 and never came to PlayStation.
Oblivion followed on Xbox 360 in March 2006. The PlayStation 3 version did not arrive until March 2007, which gave Xbox a full year on its own.
Skyrim changed the math. It launched on multiple platforms in 2011 and has sold more than 65 million copies.
The Case for Keeping It on Xbox
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has pledged a return to exclusives. Gears: E-Day launched this year as an Xbox exclusive, and inXile’s Clockwork Revolution is set for 2027.
McCaffrey argues that inconsistency has hurt the brand. Some games came to PlayStation after a few months, some after a year, and some on day one.
Asha Sharma at Microsoft Ignite 2024 – Microsoft Events, YouTube
Sentinel could also line up with Project Helix, the next Xbox console and PC hybrid. A launch window match would give Microsoft a reason for players to buy new hardware.
The Case Against It
The cost would be huge. Nearly 100 million PS5 consoles sit in homes around the world, and Sentinel is a five-year project from a large studio.
Microsoft has also sent mixed signals. Fable is set to launch on PS5 on the same day as Xbox and PC.
Sharma has not addressed Sentinel platforms publicly. IGN notes that she teased the subtitle after seeing a demo earlier this year by replacing the name with eight asterisks.
Asha Sharma at Microsoft Build 2024 – Microsoft Events, YouTube
Skyrim’s 15th anniversary arrives next week. That gives Bethesda one more moment to remind players how long they have waited for the next chapter.
If Sharma means what she says about exclusives, Sentinel is the one game that would prove it, and leaving it off PlayStation would be the boldest choice Xbox has made in a decade.
Should The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel be an Xbox exclusive, or should everyone get to play it at launch? Sound off and let us know!
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