Bethesda Game Studios’ work on The Elder Scrolls 6 has taken a hit after Microsoft’s latest layoffs, with a new IGN report saying more than 50 people at the studio were cut.
The staff IGN spoke to said the losses hit programmers, artists, and designers, and that morale inside the studio has fallen hard. One worker said the cuts would have a ripple effect on the project, while another said there was real worry about delays and crunch on a game that still does not have a final release date.
That comes after Bethesda was already described as reorganizing around its biggest franchises in a separate report on the studio’s post-layoff plans, with The Elder Scrolls sitting near the center of that strategy.
The hit has also spilled into the studio’s day-to-day atmosphere. On Bluesky, the Bethesda Game Studios Union said staff in Rockville set up a “Celebration of Service” in the common area for laid-off workers on July 8, 2026, before HR had it taken down almost immediately.
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The Elder Scrolls VI
Developed by Bethesda Game Studios
