Redfall’s Odd Connection to The Elder Scrolls Explained

Redfall is an upcoming co-op vampire shooter from developer Arkane Studios. The game was revealed at this year's E3 as one of Bethesda's first Xbox console exclusives since its acquisition by Microsoft. Despite Redfall coming completely out of the blue for many Xbox owners, it caught the attention of many. The co-op shooter genre is seeing quite the resurgence in recent times, with titles such as Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Back 4 Blood also in development. Redfall will look to capitalize on the heightened interest in the genre when it releases in 2022.

Another well-known Bethesda projectis also reportedly in development. The release of The Elder Scrolls 6 has been long anticipated, as the 10-year anniversary of Skyrim fast approaches. But despite such a long gap between mainline releases, the enthusiasm of Elder Scrolls fans has not been harmed. Leaks continue to emerge for The Elder Scrolls 6, detailing everything from the game's location to its timeline. The two games are at different stages of their development, however, they are tied together by an odd connection relating to Redfall's name.

Is Redfall Related To The Elder Scrolls 6?

The name Redfall may sound familiar to fans of The Elder Scrolls 6, as it is a name that was commonly thrown around in The Elder Scrolls 6 rumors two years ago. In 2019, Zenimax Media was in a dispute over the trademark of Redfall, which lead some to believe that this would be the title of The Elder Scrolls 6. This was less than a year on from the announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6, and rumors were at an all-time high, so it's not hard to see why the connection may have been made. However, clearly, they were wrong about the connection as Redfall has now been announced and it is not The Elder Scrolls 6 as many believed.

It may seem strange that fans believed Redfall would be the title of the next Elder Scrolls game as it isn't present in any Elder Scrolls media. The tenuous connection between Redfall and The Elder Scrolls 6 was made due to Redfall's similarity to a race likely to feature in The Elder Scrolls 6, the Redguard. Fans had been assured that Redfall would not be the name of the next Elder Scrolls title, including by Bethesda writer Michael Kirkbride. Fans, however, had already been convinced of the rumor. This was likely not helped by its backing from other seemingly real Elder Scrolls 6 rumors, which indicate the Redguard could play a big role in The Elder Scrolls 6.

What Will The Elder Scrolls 6 Actually Be Called?

While fans missed the mark with The Elder Scrolls 6's rumored Redfall name, they seemingly weren't wrong about the game's Redguard connection. The game looks as though it's likely to be set in Hammerfell and High Rock, which has been derived both from The Edler Scrolls 6's trailer, and Starfield's trailer. The trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6 showed a sweeping overview of a mountainous coastal location, which many at the time believed to be Hammerfell. This was then seemingly confirmed at this year's E3, as a Starfield trailer Easter Egg alluded to the Hammerfell and High Rock locations. Notably, this is the home of the Redguard, so fans were right in that respect.

However, Elder Scrolls fans were wrong about the name of The Elder Scrolls 6, and given Bethesda's naming conventions for the series, Redfall was always a longshot. Almost every mainline entry of The Elder Scrolls series since The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall has been named after its location. The only exception being Oblivion, which was named after The Oblivion Crisis. While Redfall would have implied a lot about the location of The Elder Scrolls 6, it would have broken the series' longstanding naming system. So from what is known about The Elder Scrolls 6 from leaks and teases, it seems likely that the upcoming Elder Scrolls game will be called The Elder Scrolls 6: Hammerfell.