In a surprising move, game developer Bethesda has released The Elder Scrolls: Castles, a mobile game, without any prior announcement or fanfare. The game was quietly launched on Android in September and remained playable until the end of the year. Now, Bethesda has officially announced the game and soft-launched it on Android and iOS in the Philippines, with plans to release it in more countries in the coming months.

The Elder Scrolls: Castles, developed by the same team behind Fallout Shelter, features a gameplay similar to its predecessor. In the game, players will build their own dynasties, where each day in the real world corresponds to a year in the game's world. Citizens are born, die, rulers change, and betrayal is a possibility. Bethesda expressed excitement about the game, stating that the team has been working on it for the past few years and absolutely adores it.

Fallout Shelter, released by Bethesda in 2015 for iOS, gained immense success and was subsequently brought to Android, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. The release of The Elder Scrolls: Castles may be the only new installment in the Elder Scrolls series for quite some time. Bethesda confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 is in early development but is not expected to be released until 2028, following the release of their upcoming game, Starfield.

The soft launch of The Elder Scrolls: Castles marks the first step for Bethesda to gather feedback and make necessary changes before its worldwide release. Fans of mobile construction and time management sims can look forward to experiencing a new addition to the Elder Scrolls universe on their mobile devices. Stay tuned for further updates regarding the global release of The Elder Scrolls: Castles.