Bethesda Game Studios has shared its merry times and goodwill messages with the public via a simple and pleasant artistic post that soon turned out to be not so good when it became clear that the game’s players wanted not Santa’s update as the least wished thing. The official Bethesda account, for the time being, brought the gaming fantasy and let it drip through Twitter, “You cannot fast travel when Santa is around,” and a beautiful white scene was the backdrop for this tweet. Nevertheless, the gamer community was unanimous in asking: Where is The Elder Scrolls VI?
By posting this, Bethesda once again proved its unmatched sense of humor pointing to fast travel, which has become a hallmark of their RPGs in the manners of Skyrim or Fallout. It was a sophisticated, sparkling, and festive time of year to speculate that a joyful elf would be preventing your teleportation or splendid flying travel, depending on your fantasy view. The picture presented to the users was of a cozy, snowy town that could be easily postcard material or perhaps the outskirts of Whiterun. But the players’ expected festive mood was swiftly overshadowed by the epochal grudge of waiting for the next game in the Elder Scrolls series.
The comment section became lively, but this activity was not about the current Santa’s lore or whether he would be dropping rare loot. No, not at all! It was all about demanding the next Elder Scrolls chapter. The user @thembomo bluntly expressed the issue: “I don’t want to hear a damn thing from Santa until ES6 is released.” This feeling was echoed over and over again. @RabenaHana was the one saying ‘you know what would be a great Christmas gift? A trailer for the elder scrolls 6!’ while @GainRangerHeffe was just stating, ‘All I want for Christmas is a date for ES6!’
This has become a regular joke, but certainly with an edge, the loyal clients have been slightly frustrated. A very small teaser of The Elder Scrolls VI was showcased to the public back in 2018, which was just a brief and mysterious teaser. After that, Bethesda has been entirely focused on a huge Starfield launch and the provision of Fallout 76. Gamers have waited over ten years after the release of Skyrim, so any non-ES6 related communication from Bethesda just feels like a tease. Even a harmless holiday joke is perceived as a diversion from the main event.
Furthermore, the replies to the tweet mentioned several other games as well. They did not only bring up the issue of The Elder Scrolls 6 but pointed to the bigger problem of expectations—and impatience—regarding the company’s releases. @EdwinSouthern’s terse ‘I want a new game’ expressed the craving quite well. @Jaypinho02’s ‘Elder Scrolls 6 when??’ is the eternal question. Starfield was even brought up when @pandaman5ooo jokingly remarked, ‘Guess I’m not playing Starfield then,’ which was a reference to the tweet’s fast-travel rule but also perhaps a sign of the game’s reception still being on some players’ minds.
Bethesda made a sincere effort to engage with the audience in a fun way, which consequently gave rise to the reply from the community account to one user saying ‘A big ‘thank you’ to the Cool Guyz, we’ll overlook the Black Soul Gems we found in Matt’s stocking.’ That is a very nice Skyrim reference that only a real fan would understand. It involves the darkest method of soul trapping which is known only by the name of black soul gems. It means that the characters in the lore are listening and also playing with their own myths. However, it is just not the myth that people want to hear about so badly.
This whole interaction is a typical instance of the game developer-player relationship in the current time. A company announces casual, Christmas moment. The player community screams that moment with their most zealot demand going through a megaphone. It is not really anger but more like a constant, collective tap. A reminder that although Christmas Santa mods are fun, the ultimate fantasy for millions of players is the new, unexplored province of Tamriel.
So, what is the takeaway from this social media misstep during the holidays? Bethesda’s community is highly committed and at the same time very patient, but that patience is running out. The thunder for The Elder Scrolls VI is like the white noise behind every other news item coming from the studio. A Christmas tweet saying that Santa is blocking fast travel? Cute. But for the gamers replying, it is just another chance to ask the question they have been asking for years. The ball is in Bethesda’s court. They do not need a holiday hook when they finally get around to talking about ES6; the reaction will be massive by itself. Nonetheless, every tweet, every update, and every bit of news will probably come with a similar wave of the PlayStation and Xbox communities chiming in.
