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Bethesda Announces Elder Scrolls MMO

An anonymous reader writes "Today Bethesda announced that their popular Elder Scrolls series of video games will be getting its own MMORPG. It's planned for 2013, and will be available for PCs and Macs. 'Players will discover an entirely new chapter of Elder Scrolls history in this ambitious world, set a millennium before the events of Skyrim as the daedric prince Molag Bal tries to pull all of Tamriel into his demonic realm. "It will be extremely rewarding finally to unveil what we have been developing the last several years," said game director and MMO veteran Matt Firor, whose previous work includes Mythic's well-received Dark Age of Camelot. "The entire team is committed to creating the best MMO ever made – and one that is worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise."'

8 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. Just hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    that an arrow to the knee doesn't kill this.

    1. Re:Just hope... by jo_ham · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was going to come here to count the "arrow to the knee" references, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

    2. Re:Just hope... by jo_ham · · Score: 5, Funny

      I tried to get the quote right, but then I took an arrow in the knee.

  2. Urgh!!! by rodrigoandrade · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Last thing I want is an MMO in Tamriel.

    First, the MMO market is totally saturated and this game just won't get the attention it deservers from fans and the media. As a result, it'll become yet another niche MMO for a few longtime diehard fans of TES.

    No, it won't be the next WoW either. The saturation factor alone prevents ANY MMO from being the next WoW, no matter how uber awesome.

    Secondly, all TES games are inherently FREAKING HUGE!!!! Huge world to explore, hugely deep lore, lots of side-quests. In theory, this would go hand-in-hand with an MMO concept, except for all the technical limitations imposed by current network technologies.

    Case in point: SWTOR. I had EVERYTHING to be a hell of a great MMO, but due to technical limitations, it was watered down to a theme-park-ride MMO. A Star Wars game with on-rails space combat?? Only half-dozen playable races??Seriously??

    DONOTWANT TES MMO, TYVM!!

  3. Not Excited by Missing.Matter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For me, the allure of Elder Scrolls has always been the single player experience and the immersion in a different world this provides. As someone who has played many MMOs, immersion has never really been a word I'd use to describe them. From all the immature annoying players, to the terrible meta game of griding levels and petty guild politics, playing MMOs has always been a chore for me (which is I guess why I don't play them much anymore). Elder Scrolls has always been a beautiful fantasy escape, and while I know there aren't any details released about the game at this point, I can't possibly see how they can replicate that experience in an MMO.

    I mean, look at the play style that characterizes TES. Vast open environments where you can do practically anything. Now imagine this as an MMO. Imagine walking into town to find EVERYTHING had been stripped out of every building. Shopkeepers slaughtered in the streets, two or three bandits with their pack of mule characters, shipping everything off to a stash... no it wouldn't work. The only reason these sandbox games work is because you're the only one in the game causing this kind of mayhem. So I don't know what TES Online is going to look like, but I have a strong suspicion it will include almost none of the allure of a typical TES game, and will be severely crippled by its MMO status.

  4. woot! Minecraft online by rfioren · · Score: 5, Funny

    I love that Notch guy. Can't wait to play Minecraft online!

  5. Re:Too bad by Missing.Matter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I agree. I would love to explore the land of Tamriel with my friends. I just don't want to do it with 10,000 other people to constantly annoy me.

  6. Re:Interesting and mixed feelings by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > I always found it a shame that such a rich world as the elder scrolls has, was only single player.

    I've often felt the same. Sometimes standing on a hill looking out over the country side the world felt very empty.

    What I've always felt would have been a killer feature for TES, is a stand alone server and development kit along the lines of the original NeverWinter Nights. Even just to be able to host the main campaign and play through it with small group of friends would be an infinitely better experience than *another* grinding MMO.