The Elder Scrolls 6 could find its way to the Nintendo Switch’s successor if a recent tweet is any indication. The series has been awaiting a sequel for over a decade at this point, with recent consoles rereleasing Skyrim due to that game’s widespread success. The wait has been long, but the next console generation should hopefully see a new Elder Scrolls title.
The Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo consoles as a whole, have a tendency to miss some of the big-name games that come out for Xbox and Playstation consoles, including Skyrim itself. Although Skyrim was first released for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2011, it skipped over both the Wii and the Wii U, not landing on a Nintendo console until 2017’s Switch port. Even though Link’s BOTW armor in Skyrim‘s Switch port was fun, having to wait so long to play such a successful, widely available game on a Nintendo console was frustrating.
Nintendo’s Consoles Are Receiving Some Microsoft Games
According to a Twitter post by Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith, Microsoft and Nintendo have signed a 10-year contract that will bring Call of Duty games to the Switch and future consoles. This on its own would be interesting, but Smith’s wording raises more intrigue. Rather than only mentioning Call of Duty, he specifies that Xbox and Activision games could be brought to Nintendo consoles. This opens the door for a variety of Xbox console exclusives to get Switch ports, not just Call of Duty after its 9-year Nintendo absence. One of the biggest potential gains that could come from this contract is bringing the next Elder Scrolls to Nintendo consoles.
The Elder Scrolls games are one of the biggest series’ that have been consistently released on Xbox consoles. Out of nearly any game that could be announced to come to the Switch or its successors through this deal, few would make a bigger impact than The Elder Scrolls 6. Not only would it get more players at launch if it was on as many consoles as possible, but Nintendo players wouldn’t have to wait years to play the game again. With Elder Scrolls 6‘s extended development time already ensuring a long wait, leaving such a potentially profitable game on the table would be unthinkable.
The fact that Skyrim has already been on the Switch in the past only provides a stronger argument for bringing Elder Scrolls 6 to the next Nintendo console. Since players have already had a chance to play the previous game, it only makes sense for the next game to appear on the same line of consoles. Otherwise, it would be similar to the controversial move to put Dead Rising 2 on Xbox and Playstation consoles before Dead Rising 3 was made Microsoft-exclusive. Even though Morrowind and Oblivion missed the Switch and previous Nintendo consoles, ensuring that Elder Scrolls 6 is on the next console just makes sense.
Now that Call of Duty will be on Nintendo consoles for the foreseeable future, moves should be made to ensure that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be making the leap as well. This contract could bring a lot of great games to the Switch and its later incarnations, and the opportunity shouldn’t be wasted. At the top of the list of games that should benefit from the deal between Microsoft and Nintendo is The Elder Scrolls 6.
Source: Brad Smith/Twitter