Skryim's Dragonborn with mountainous regions in the background.
Image via IGN.

Former Skyrim designer says his “fingerprints” will be on The Elder Scrolls 6

Skyrim's magic system will likely carry over.

At this point, it’s safe to say that people are ready for The Elder Scrolls 6. While we’re likely still years away from playing it, it feels as though Bethesda will start putting more stock into the Skyrim follow-up now that Starfield is out.

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With that in-mind, a recent interview with MinnMax suggests that some elements from previous TES games will make their way into the sixth installment. Former Bethesda employee Bruce Nesmith – who was lead designer for Skyrim – has said that elements that go as far back as Oblivion could be “further developed” for The Elder Scrolls 6.

That particular part of the interview begins around the one-hour 13-minute mark.

However, Nesmith is not certain what these aspects will be. He does add that we will find his “fingerprints” in the next installment based on how the games have been designed in the past and his impact on the series.

It’s a kind of magic

Nesmith then goes on to say that TES6 will likely have traces of the magical elements from Skyrim. So if you like the magic system in TES5, that’s something to perhaps look forward to (maybe).

Bruce had been involved with the Elder Scrolls franchise since 1996’s Daggerfall, eventually becoming Senior Game Designer for Bethesda. He was also a quest designer for Fallout 3. If you’ve played a Bethesda RPG since the mid-90s, you’ll have experienced Nesmith’s input. These days, he’s a fantasy novelist. His first novel, Mischief Maker: Norse Mythology Reimagined, was released in 2021.

As for The Elder Scrolls 6, we’re still pretty much in the dark. Nesmith’s comments seem largely speculative, so it’s best not to take what he says as the final word in what the elusive Skyrim follow-up will be like.


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Image of Andrew Heaton
Andrew Heaton
Andrew has been a gamer since the 17th century Restoration period. He now writes for a number of online publications, contributing news and other articles. He does not own a powdered wig.