Bethesda's recent layoffs shouldn't have a direct impact on its business. The Elder Scrolls 6 Here's the development timeline, according to a newly shared explanation from an established Xbox insider. The update suggests: tes 6 While it remains on track for a late 2020s debut, a separate report may narrow the project's release window to a year.
Microsoft announced its latest round of layoffs for Xbox on July 6, cutting approximately 1,600 jobs immediately and planning similarly sized cuts through the end of fiscal 2027 in June 2027. WARN records obtained by Game File show 158 ZeniMax positions were affected in Texas. This included 136 roles associated with the Richardson office used by id Software and other Bethesda teams, as well as 22 positions in Austin. The notice filed in Maryland lists an additional 213 removals from ZeniMax Online Studios and 166 from ZeniMax Media, the latter potentially impacting Bethesda's publishing division and central development operations.
Matthew Schroeder, better known by his online name MrMattyPlays, said in a recent video that he had asked Bethesda Game Studios directly whether layoffs had affected the development schedule. tes 6. According to Schroeder, company officials told him the game's timeline “is not affected.” Although the update appears reassuring, its significance is limited. The Elder Scrolls 6 The highly anticipated RPG has no release window announced.
MrMattyPlays isn't primarily known as a leaker, but he has shown that he has direct access to Bethesda officials, most notably through an hour-long interview with Todd Howard in June 2024. That history lends more credibility to this kind of limited explanation than anonymous rumor. After all, no one with direct access to Bethesda's upper management would do anything to jeopardize that relationship, such as spreading false rumors. The claim itself is also consistent with Bethesda's latest development update. tes 6 As of mid-July 2026, the project was where the studio had hoped it would be and was being played internally on a daily basis, he said. Neither statement independently or reliably establishes that the layoffs will no longer have a long-term impact on the development of the open-world RPG. Perhaps as of summer 2026, it is too early to make such a decision.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Timeline
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Image via Bethesda -
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Image from GameRant | Image source: Bethesda Game Studios
- June 2018: Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6 at E3.
- June 2021: Todd Howard explains that the game is in the design phase and technology builds are being completed based on the work done for Starfield.
- August 2023: Bethesda has confirmed that TES 6 has left pre-production and entered early development after Starfield is completed.
- July 2026: Jason Schreier reports that TES 6 is at least “two to three years” away from completion.
- July 2026: Microsoft has laid off hundreds of employees across Bethesda and ZeniMax operations, but Bethesda insists the game's current schedule remains unchanged.
- 2028~2029: TES 6 release (based on most recent available internal estimate)
One possible interpretation of the unchanged schedule is that Bethesda protected its core. The Elder Scrolls 6 Xbox announced the layoffs in early July 2026, saying it aims to streamline this. However, there is no hard evidence that Bethesda followed this approach. Available employment data in Texas shows Xbox layoffs fallout and Elder Scrolls The team included gameplay designers, engine programmers, artists, QA testers, and producers. Meanwhile, the Maryland notice does not specify which projects the affected ZeniMax Media employees supported.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, tes 6 As of July 2026, there are at least two to three years left until completion. According to estimates, the project is expected to begin as early as late 2028, and no later than 2029. This scope roughly matches Bethesda's latest big-budget development cycle. This cycle tends to take about five years on average, unless it relies on a large and complex engine overhaul. star field did it
- released
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2026
- ESRB
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middle
- developer
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Bethesda Game Studios
- publisher
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Bethesda Softworks
Source: Game Files
