Elder Scrolls VI Gets Its Name: Sentinel, With Hammerfell As the Setting

Bethesda has finally given The Elder Scrolls VI a subtitle. The full name, The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel, appeared in a video celebrating the studio's 40th anniversary, a montage of the highlights from the past year. A recent report had already pointed toward this name, so the confirmation itself was not a shock, but it settles the question.

The clip offered little else. It closed on a title card set in the series' familiar typeface, followed by a short video of a scroll rising out of the sand. Bethesda also shared an in-world quote from Yazar, Moth Priest of High Queen Iradne of Hammerfell, dated 4E 206. It describes a scroll that revealed only a glimpse of a lost future and an undone victory. The two details worth holding onto are the scroll itself and the mention of Hammerfell.

Hammerfell is the more telling clue. A recent report from The Verge said the game would be set there and would center on the history of the Elder Scrolls and the secrets they hold. A follow-up post from Bethesda said the location had been revealed, which makes it look like Hammerfell is where players will go.

Don't expect a full marketing push anytime soon. Bethesda said it will be "some time" before it shares more, which suggests the studio is not gearing up for a campaign.

Fans have been waiting a long time already. The Elder Scrolls VI was announced in 2018, and since then most people have seen little beyond the same mountain range from that debut trailer. Todd Howard has said he would have preferred a later reveal. Earlier this year, the studio said most of Bethesda Game Studios is now working on the project. Howard put it plainly: "We know we need to get it right and it's been a long time." Skyrim came out in 2011, so by the time this one launches, the gap between mainline entries will be more than 15 years.

There is still no release date and no list of platforms. Xbox, which owns Bethesda, is under pressure to turn its business around, and part of that plan is to focus on its biggest franchises. Fallout 5 is also in development. Reports suggest some Bethesda developers are worried about more layoffs, which adds uncertainty to a game that has already taken years to show its face.