In a nutshell: Bethesda has remained mostly radio silent regarding The Elder Scrolls 6 development since announcing the project in 2018. The silence ended on Monday when the studio revealed it would be developing an NPC based on the winner of an auction to benefit charity.
In a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Bethesda has agreed to “immortalize” one fan as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. As part of a charity event, the chance isn’t free. Interested fans must participate in a silent auction hosted by OneCause. As of this writing, the winning bid sits at $35,750, so it won’t come cheap, but it’s for a good cause.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 nonprofit group that helps children with critical and terminal illnesses by granting “life-changing” wishes. Becoming an NPC in a TES game sounds like a wish right up its alley. However, this is a fundraiser. All auction proceeds go directly to Make-A-Wish to help grant the requests of children who might be making their last wish.
We’re offering one lucky winner the chance to create an NPC for The Elder Scrolls VI to benefit Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic.
Winning bid will go directly to Make-A-Wish so they can keep granting wishes.
Visit their silent auction to bid: https://t.co/bg05XAtszg pic.twitter.com/z6EMmkpZ4V
– Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) February 17, 2025
Bethesda announced the auction on Monday, noting that it has worked with Make-A-Wish for several years. However, it did not provide details on what the winning bidder receives other than an NPC with their likeness. It only vaguely mentioned “working with” the studio.
“We are giving one winner the opportunity to work with Bethesda Game Studios to create a character to appear as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls VI. All of the money made from the auction goes directly to Make-A-Wish,” the developer said.
Will the “experience” include direct contact with the studio for mo-cap or facial scanning sessions? Will the fan voice the NPC? Will the winner have any input into the character’s personality? The answers remain unknown and unmentioned by Bethesda or Make-A-Wish, which is odd since these factors would influence the value of the opportunity. Which is worth more: having your face uploaded onto an NPC or becoming part of the game’s development by contributing to the NPC’s creation and meeting the TES6 team?
Although the specifics are still a bit vague, the auction has clearly caught people’s attention. In just one day, the bidding shot past $10,000. Now, it’s approaching $36,000 – but with days left, it’s anyone’s guess how high it could go.
It’s worth noting that the auction winner won’t be alone. Bethesda has already promised to include Shirley Curry, aka “Skyrim Grandma,” in the game. Curry, an 88-year-old grandmother, avid Skyrim player, and YouTuber with over one million subscribers, survived a stroke in 2022. Afterward, more than 50,000 of her followers signed a petition asking Bethesda to immortalize her in TES6. Bethesda agreed.
