Fans of The Elder Scrolls 6, much like those eagerly awaiting Grand Theft Auto 6, are starved for information. With only a character creation competition to fuel their excitement, it's no wonder the community has jumped into release date speculation mode.

This week, Bethesda unveiled their latest collaboration with Make-A-Wish: a chance to bid on working with Bethesda Game Studios to create a character that will appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. "For the last several years, we have been fortunate enough to partner with Make-A-Wish to fulfill wishes, support their local events, and provide items and experiences, all to benefit children battling life-threatening illnesses," Bethesda stated.

"This year, for their Silent Auction, we are offering one winner the opportunity to work with Bethesda Game Studios to create a character for The Elder Scrolls 6. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to Make-A-Wish."

While this initiative is commendable and a wonderful cause, for The Elder Scrolls 6 enthusiasts, it represents more than just charity. The community has begun comparing this Make-A-Wish project to a similar one for Starfield, using it to gauge the current development stage of The Elder Scrolls 6 and speculate on its release date.

The aptly named Reddit user 'FartingSlowly' noted that Bethesda's 'chance to create a Starfield character' was announced two-and-a-half years before Starfield's release in September 2023. Thus, they speculate that The Elder Scrolls 6 might be released on September 27, 2027. "This is not a reliable indicator of release by any standards," FartingSlowly conceded. "Don't take it too seriously. But it's finally something tangible. It's not just baseless speculation; it's based on an action from Bethesda themselves. It may not be significant, but it's a refreshing change in the world of speculation."

As expected, many in the community have expressed skepticism about FartingSlowly's suggested release date. Others have pointed out that Starfield's Make-A-Wish competition was announced when the game was originally slated for release on November 11, 2022, leading to speculation that The Elder Scrolls 6 might launch in November 2026.

It has been a long time since Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls 6. In January, the announcement from June 10, 2018, reached the same age as Skyrim was at the time of The Elder Scrolls 6's announcement. The studio confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 had entered "early development" in August 2023, and "early builds" were available by March 2024. The six-year anniversary of the announcement came and went in June last year, prompting even Bethesda development chief Todd Howard to remark, "oh wow, that has been a while."

The Elder Scrolls 6 is expected to launch no earlier than 2028, likely on next-generation consoles as well as PC. If it does release then, it will be an astonishing 17 years after Skyrim. While we wait to learn more, you can explore Everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6.