Despite a slow start, Bethesda managed to shatter all expectations during its E3 2018 presentation, even going so far as to giving those in attendance a ‘The Elder Scrolls VI’ fake-out before delivering on the goods before the curtains closed. To that end, though, both Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield were announced roughly 6 years before they are going to be released, which marks an interesting departure compared to what other developer studios tend to do. Thankfully, Bethesda’s SVP of marketing Pete Hines recently revealed the ‘why’ behind this decision, while also talking about managing expectations.

While speaking with GameSpot at PAX Australia, Pete Hines reiterated once again that both The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield are several years away, though the reason why they were announced that way was to reassure fans that, despite the long wait, Bethesda is “going to make some stuff you’re really going to love.”

“[The Elder Scrolls VI] is big and it’s ambitious, but also … the most important thing to underscore is that the timeline between products that you get from BGS [Bethesda Game Studios] is not any different than it has been historically just because we’ve talked about two games after Fallout 76,” Hines began.

I try really hard to manage people’s expectations. It’s not like ‘Fallout 76 this year, Starfield next year, and then The Elder Scrolls VI the year after.’ The timeline isn’t any different. What’s different is just trying to be transparent and say, ‘Don’t freak out, the next thing we’re doing is single-player [in Starfield], [and] we are making The Elder Scrolls VI.”

“Would it have been better if it was some years from now and we just go, ‘Surprise, we’re making a game called Starfield, and it’s out X months later?’” he added. “Yeah. For sure. But at the same time, there is also value in every day between there people aren’t freaking out about us making Fallout 76 as an online-only game as a service and this is all they’re ever making. Take a deep breath; you’re going to be OK. We’re going to make some stuff you’re really going to love.”

While both The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield are a long way away, at least Fallout 76 will last “forever,” which should keep us busy. Fallout 76 arrives for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 14, 2018.

So, thoughts on Pete Hines’ reasoning behind announcing the two games so early? Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!