Former Bethesda Dev Discusses How The Elder Scrolls 6’s Story Could Connect to Skyrim

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Bruce Nesmith, a former developer at Bethesda who led design on Skyrim, has shared some thoughts on how the story of The Elder Scrolls 6 could tie into the events of Skyrim. Although he left Bethesda in 2021 before full development of The Elder Scrolls 6 began, he still has ideas about the game’s potential narrative direction.

In Skyrim, players can follow many different questlines related to various groups. The main story and the Civil War are the most important, as the Civil War lets you choose a side – either the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks – and decide who rules Skyrim. This choice not only changes things within the game, but could also have a lasting impact on the overall story of The Elder Scrolls series. Since The Elder Scrolls 6 hasn’t been announced yet, it’s unknown if Bethesda will acknowledge the outcome of the Civil War in the next game.

Former Bethesda Dev Thinks TES 6 May Not Address Skyrim’s Civil War Winner

In an interview with Press Box PR, Bethesda’s Emil Pagliarulo (known as Nesmith) discussed how The Elder Scrolls 6 might handle the unresolved outcomes of Skyrim‘s Civil War. He speculated that the game will likely leave the war’s ending ambiguous, with neither side definitively winning. Nesmith explained a game development principle he calls “put your toys away,” meaning storylines should generally reset the game world to its original state. He believes major, lasting changes are best reserved for the most important, overarching narratives. For smaller storylines, like those focused on guilds, resetting the world prevents future developers from being overly restricted by previous choices. This approach keeps the game world feeling fresh and dynamic for ongoing content.

Nesmith concluded by suggesting that when dealing with the Civil War, it might be best to either avoid the topic altogether or present it as an unfinished conflict that ended in a sort of truce. He emphasized that this was just his opinion.

I would say they will leave it undefined or leave it as neither side really won.

Whether the civil war from Skyrim will be important in The Elder Scrolls 6 is still uncertain. While Bethesda hasn’t revealed where the new game will take place, rumors point to Hammerfell. According to one source, both Hammerfell and High Rock would be excellent locations, but any part of Tamriel offers interesting possibilities. It’s possible Bethesda will choose a setting that allows them to avoid dealing with the consequences of the Skyrim civil war altogether.

Image via Bethesda

A recent interview with Nesmith touched on many subjects, including his thoughts on why a remake of Morrowind might not be successful. It’s insightful to get perspective from someone who used to work at Bethesda, especially regarding the studio’s current direction and future plans. As a major game developer, Bethesda always receives a lot of attention, and that’s been especially true lately because they haven’t said much about The Elder Scrolls 6. This year marks 15 years since the release of Skyrim, a long gap between main games that few fans predicted back in 2011. Now, gamers are hoping that 2026 will finally be the year Bethesda reveals the next installment in the series.

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2026-02-01 21:04