Todd Howard has reiterated that Fallout 5 is behind Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 in the production queue at Bethesda Game Studios.
During an extensive interview with IGN, the game director gave an update on the studio’s plans once the sci-fi RPG comes out next year.
“Yeah, Elder Scrolls 6 is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to do Fallout 5 after that, so our list is pretty full for a while,” he said. “We also have some other projects that we look at from time to time.”
Howard previously claimed that work on Starfield began in 2015, meaning it will have been in development for over 7 years by the time it comes out. Assuming development of the next games takes just as long, Fallout fans could well wait another decade for the next installment.
Howard acknowledged the long production schedules in the IGN interview, saying, “It takes a while, I wish they came out faster, really, we try as hard as we can, but we want them to be the best they can for everyone to be.”
The director told the same site earlier in 2021 that he would be hesitant to outsource Fallout 5.
“I don’t see it… Look, Fallout is really part of our DNA here,” he replied, seemingly dampening the chances of another studio taking the reins before not ruling it out completely.
“We’ve worked with other people from time to time, I can’t say what’s going to happen,” he continued. “You know, we have a one-pager on Fallout 5, which we want to do.”
The first Starfield gameplay was showcased in an in-depth reveal of Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG during Sunday’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase.
Bethesda’s Todd Howard introduced the 15-minute gameplay reveal, which includes a section early in the title after players arrive at the mysterious moon of Kreet.
Starfield’s main story can take players 30-40 hours to complete, Howard has also said.