With more information revealed about The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel, the question of why the series' main timeline has long remained stuck after The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has once again become a topic of discussion. One commentary suggests that Bethesda previously used novels to continue Tamriel's history but did not employ this approach again during the long wait for the next installment.
Comments point out that while The Elder Scrolls Online offers a wealth of stories and lore, it is a prequel. Spin-offs such as The Elder Scrolls: Blades, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, and The Elder Scrolls: Castles are either set before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or not tied to a specific era, thus failing to continue the history after the main series.
Greg Keyes' The Infernal City and Lord of Souls bridge The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The two novels revolve around the Umbriel Crisis, set 48 years after the Oblivion Crisis and approximately 153 years before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. A soul-powered floating island leads an army of the undead across Black Marsh, Morrowind, and Cyrodiil, while the story also provides background on the Red Mountain eruption, the fall of Baar Dau, Umbra, and the Daedric Prince Clavicus Vile.
The author argues that although these two novels are not essential knowledge for playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, they give Tamriel a sense of continuous evolution between the two main entries. Based on the new trailer, the author also speculates that The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel may be set in 4E 206, roughly five years after The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which could compress the timeframe available for spin-off stories. These dates and creative strategies have not been officially confirmed.