The Elder Scrolls: Blades Delayed Into 2019

Back at E3 2018, Bethesda made something of a surprise announcement by revealing The Elder Scrolls: Blades. The announcement was a surprise, in part, because we weren't exactly expecting an Elder Scrolls announcement, much less one for an Elder Scrolls mobile game. Regardless, Blades is what we got, and Bethesda said at the time that it would be out sometime this autumn.

Depending on where you live in the US, one look outside is enough to tell you that autumn has come and gone, and though winter doesn't officially begin until December 21, Bethesda certainly has been running down the clock on that release window. It should come as little surprise, then, that the company has decided to delay the launch of The Elder Scrolls: Blades.

The official Elder Scrolls Twitter account broke the news, saying that the game will now release in early 2019 for iOS and Android. We're also expecting a PC version of Blades at some point, but Bethesda didn't give us any idea of when that might launch. It also didn't give us a reason why the game was delayed, but it wouldn't be all that shocking to hear that the current Fallout 76 controversy has something to do with it.

If you've missed the news, Bethesda's latest Fallout game hasn't been sitting very well with fans for a variety of reasons. From game-breaking bugs to expensive Collector's Editions that didn't arrive as advertised, Bethesda is catching a lot of heat at the moment. Perhaps it decided that it didn't want to risk further criticism by releasing an Elder Scrolls mobile game that represents a fairly radical departure for the long-running series?

Obviously that's just speculation on my part, but at the moment, gamers don't seem to be too fond of the idea of beloved franchises going mobile. In any case, we won't be seeing what Blades has to offer until some point next year. If you're interested, you can pre-register for the game at its official site, but otherwise, stay tuned for more information.