The Elder Scrolls 6 is presumably not coming to PlayStation 5, and that could significantly impact the quality of Bethesda’s long-awaited open-world RPG.

Fans have been waiting a long time for The Elder Scrolls 6. Skyrim turned ten years old at the end of 2021. And the announcement trailer for the sixth instalment debuted at E3 2018. But there’s still no release date in sight. However, Xbox and PC users can at least say they’ll be able to play it sooner rather than later.

While Microsoft and Bethesda have yet to confirm fully, TES 6 will likely be PC and Xbox exclusive.

Still, while this may be unfortunate news for PlayStation fans, it could also be an unexpected positive. Bethesda’s open-world RPGs are notoriously buggy, as anyone who has played one can attest. However, the likely Xbox exclusivity of TES 6 could result in a much more polished look when the new game finally launches.

The Elder Scrolls 6 could benefit from exclusivity

PlayStation fans are right to fret that The Elder Scrolls 6 may not be coming to PS5. But that could be a good thing for the quality of the game. The simple fact is that getting a game out on multiple platforms takes a lot of extra time, work and money. Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S run on a modified version of the Windows 10 operating system. Both use the same development tools and programming interfaces. This makes it relatively easy to develop games that can be played on both.

PlayStation 5, on the other hand, uses its own operating system. This is not a problem for PS5-only games. However, it does mean a lot of extra work for cross-platform game developers. Xbox and PC exclusivity, therefore, frees up more time for developers. They can also spend this time on testing and bug fixing. Bugs are probably inevitable for any large-scale game like TES 6. However, the final game could be much more polished than its cross-platform predecessors.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the extra time and focus on consoles alone will be as beneficial as it sounds.

There are also plenty of valid criticisms of exclusivity as a concept. However, the Xbox and PC exclusivity of The Elder Scrolls 6 may well prove to be a stroke of luck in the end. Not to mention that it will probably find its way onto the current PlayStation console sooner or later. And then it will be an improved, more stable version of the game.

Source: PlayStation Lifestyle