Bethesda Announces MMO - The Elder Scrolls Online

Post by Dan @ 02:57am 04/05/12 | 60 Comments

Confirming the rumours, but still surprising a heck of a lot of people, Bethesda have officially announced The Elder Scrolls Online -- an MMO based on their hugely successful fantasy RPG franchise.

The reveal comes as an exclusive cover story for the June publication of Game Informer's dead-tree edition, who explain that the game will be set 1000 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and center around Daedric prince Molag Bal, who is trying 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."

The Elder Scrolls Online is expected in 2013 for PC and Mac.

bethesda elder scrolls mmo skyrim

Latest Comments

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3dee
Posted 08:23am 04/5/12

I'm going to reserve judgement on this one. My main hope is that they don't 'dumb it down' for online, such as in the graphics and detail department.

An online Skyrim with a huge world would be cool.

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3dee
Posted 08:24am 04/5/12

I mean, the country of Skyrim is already f*****g huge anyway!

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Tollaz0r!
Posted 08:35am 04/5/12

It would have to have persistant world changes brought directly about through player interaction in the world for me to be interested.

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Mosfx
Posted 08:37am 04/5/12

2012 release geez, can't wait to see the first trailer and image...

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cJay
Posted 08:48am 04/5/12

Booooooooo just a money grubbing exercise.

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mental
Posted 09:12am 04/5/12

You're in a dark corridor with the scratching sounds of Draugr coming from a tomb behind you, turning you and your companions draw your weapons, prepare your spells and ready your bows, when suddenly you find yourself and half of your horse standing on an icy, wind swept mountain.

A tear in the sky appears and a Draugr arrow pierce's through your heavy, enchanted armour staggering you backwards, you fall from the cliff and roll and tumble until you find yourself under the bar at the winking skeever.

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Raven
Posted 09:34am 04/5/12

You're in a dark corridor with the scratching sounds of Draugr coming from a tomb behind you, turning you and your companions draw your weapons, prepare your spells and ready your bows, when suddenly you find yourself and half of your horse standing on an icy, wind swept mountain.

A tear in the sky appears and a Draugr arrow pierce's through your heavy, enchanted armour staggering you backwards, you fall from the cliff and roll and tumble until you find yourself under the bar at the winking skeever.

> N
You are standing in front of a cave.
> N
It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
> N
You have been eaten by a grue.

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Eorl
Posted 09:42am 04/5/12

It seems the GameInformer screens have been leaked - http://imgur.com/a/fO9Ty#18

From what I've read so far, they are taking the direction more towards Guild Wars 2's style of "open-world go where ever you want" rather then set quest hubs. They will have an event system similar to GW2 and WAR, and will be using the Hero Engine.

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Khel
Posted 10:17am 04/5/12

I'm cringing already imaginging the bugfest this is going to be. Bethesda have enough problems with QA while just making single player games, those problems will increase exponentially when they're making an MMO. And unlike in Skyrim where if something bugs out you can just reload a save game, in an MMO, if you're f***ed then you're permanently f***ed until whatever f***ed you gets addressed.

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Eorl
Posted 10:25am 04/5/12

Khel, Bethesda aren't developing this, Zenimax Online Studios are.

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ravn0s
Posted 10:28am 04/5/12

looks purty

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deadlyf
Posted 10:35am 04/5/12

Khel, Bethesda aren't developing this, Zenimax Online Studios are.

Yeah that doesn't really mean it will be anything different. Zenimax owns Bethesda and although this new studio has yet to be tested you'd assume they would return similar results.

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Khel
Posted 10:54am 04/5/12

And would probably share the same QA group

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Dan
Posted 10:57am 04/5/12

Unless you presume that Elder Scrolls games are traditionally buggy because of the ambition and amount of freedom they offer players that it can get away with because it's a singleplayer game.

Given that this is being built on an entirely different engine with a different scope, even if some of the same people are involved i'd say they deserve the benefit of the doubt that it won't be as bug-riddled as a traditional elder scrolls game.

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demon
Posted 11:03am 04/5/12

i'm more wary of how the pvp combat would be in such a game than i am about bethesda bugs. the combat in oblivion/skyrim is pretty goofy.

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Outlaw
Posted 11:16am 04/5/12

Just needed 4player coop expansion for skyrim not another generic mmo

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fpot
Posted 11:49am 04/5/12

I would play the f*** out of a GTA mmo.

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Midda
Posted 12:00pm 04/5/12

Bethesda has never done anything to impress me, so I won't be expecting much from this.

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ravn0s
Posted 12:03pm 04/5/12

3 faction pvp. f*****g finally.

the game director is matt firor who worked on DAOC.

last edited by ravn0s at 12:03:24 04/May/12

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Khel
Posted 12:08pm 04/5/12

Hrmm, looking at those screenshots, it didn't really look like an Elder Scrolls game. Having said that, I'm not sure what the actual look or style of an Elder Scrolls game is but I dunno, the character models looked more like something out of Guild Wars or Lineage (not saying that as an insult or anything, just seemed a different style). The only thing in those pictures that really felt Elder Scrolls to me was the picture of the flame atronach

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HurricaneJim
Posted 12:33pm 04/5/12

The MMO would be fine until you took an arrow in the knee

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DM
Posted 12:46pm 04/5/12

center around Daedric prine Molag Bal

So... the main bad guy is a penguin from Disaega?

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Eorl
Posted 12:49pm 04/5/12

Hrmm, looking at those screenshots, it didn't really look like an Elder Scrolls game. Having said that, I'm not sure what the actual look or style of an Elder Scrolls game is but I dunno, the character models looked more like something out of Guild Wars or Lineage (not saying that as an insult or anything, just seemed a different style). The only thing in those pictures that really felt Elder Scrolls to me was the picture of the flame atronach

It's based off the Hero Engine, and looking at the images in the leaked scans, it gives a very SWTOR vibe. In the end, I will most likely play it as I've always wanted a Elder Scrolls MMO and I know there would be quite a few out there as well. Hopefully with it being "class" based you can still pick and choose traits/skills effectively making you more open-ended.

Again, Bethesda Games Studio isn't actually helping Zenimax Online Studios out, they only talk to each other about lore and ensuring both keep things working efficiently.

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casa
Posted 12:53pm 04/5/12

the game director is matt firor who worked on DAOC.

If I had a quarter of a million dollars every time I heard someone say "the X is Y who worked on DAOC" and the pvp bit a complete ass, I'd be a millionaire. I have heard this statement about the last 10-20 big MMOs and every single one of them have had horrible pvp.

Seriously DAOC has always been the best pvp game and will probably continue doing so until someone comes up with something original again that isn't just "Queuing for a battlegrounds, grinding for items".

MMOs just do not get me excited anymore because they all recycle the wow pvp system which is just horrible.

last edited by casa at 12:53:45 04/May/12

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Khel
Posted 12:57pm 04/5/12

Again, Bethesda Games Studio isn't actually helping Zenimax Online Studios out, they only talk to each other about lore and ensuring both keep things working efficiently.

They must be pretty closely related though, because they have Bethesda's logo on their website. I wouldn't be at all suprised if they pulled in Bethesda people to help finish the game as crunch time approaches.

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Azaria
Posted 01:46pm 04/5/12

They must be pretty closely related though, because they have Bethesda's logo on their website. I wouldn't be at all suprised if they pulled in Bethesda people to help finish the game as crunch time approaches.

Great, when all the design and gameplay elements are already locked in they would pull in some of the worst QA in the industry? (yes I know the scope is huge in comparison to other games, but still).

No thanks.

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Trauma
Posted 03:01pm 04/5/12

Prob gunna be pay-to-win.

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skythra
Posted 03:08pm 04/5/12

Maybe they don't quite understand their audience.

I didn't want real people in my game. I just wanted to do whatever i wanted and be rewarded for it.

In a MMO you have to follow the status quo to be properly rewarded.

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reload!
Posted 03:15pm 04/5/12

In the end, I will most likely play it as I've always wanted a Elder Scrolls MMO

what a shocker from someone who has a skyrim dragon tattoo.

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Hogfather
Posted 03:17pm 04/5/12

Raises an interesting point though Skythra, some sort of sandbox mmo would be awesome but I have no idea how it would or could work.

Also is it just me or does Eorl get really excited about every MMO? :p

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jconradr
Posted 03:16pm 04/5/12

Hmmmmmm... Interesting, yet the possibility for disappointment is high! Please be good...

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Eorl
Posted 03:20pm 04/5/12

what a shocker from someone who has a skyrim dragon tattoo.

Hah I don't have a Skyrim dragon tattoo, just a dragon tattoo. And also a piranha plant but that's for another thread!

Apparently Zenimax applied for a Hero Engine license in 2007, a year before Bioware got their hands on one for SWTOR. Will be interesting to see how optimised it is when you look at how much trouble Bioware have been dealing with lately in regards to server transfers and even UI customisation.

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Hogfather
Posted 03:24pm 04/5/12

Did Bioware actually blame the engine for server transfer difficulties somewhere?

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Midda
Posted 03:28pm 04/5/12

some sort of sandbox mmo would be awesome but I have no idea how it would or could work.

I guess like Eve, but on a planet instead of in space?

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Eorl
Posted 03:39pm 04/5/12

They just stated that they had to do it manually for now and will be offering an automated system when that is made.

As previously mentioned, this is the first version of our character transfer process, and it is mostly conducted manually.

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ravn0s
Posted 03:39pm 04/5/12

Did Bioware actually blame the engine for server transfer difficulties somewhere?

i don't believe so. they only said transfers were difficult because of the legacy system.

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Khel
Posted 03:41pm 04/5/12

I doubt character transfers would even have anything to do with the game engine would they? Sounds like more of a back-end thing that would happen on the database side of things.

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Hogfather
Posted 03:42pm 04/5/12

They just stated that they had to do it manually for now and will be offering an automated system when that is made.

So what's that got to do with Hero?

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reload!
Posted 03:54pm 04/5/12

my mistake, it was just one you found on the internet around the time of skyrim's release.

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tvcars
Posted 03:58pm 04/5/12

Sounds like just another mmo to me but cashing in on the title hoping to make a big splash. I'll pass.

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Eorl
Posted 04:01pm 04/5/12

Guess so then, ah well, as long the engine works and can produce a good game I'm happy. Will be interesting to see how much of a sandbox it offers when the singleplayer titled games are well known for that feature.

And yes reload, that's the one I got.

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Khel
Posted 04:09pm 04/5/12

I had a very, very brief look at the Hero Engine and it looks like its not specifically an engine for making MMOs, but just an engine for making online multiplayer games. So I guess the ToR team and the guys making this Elder Scrolls MMO would both be having to make some pretty big changes and additions to it to get it doing what they want.

Could be wrong though, I only had a super brief flick through their website, maybe theres like an MMO module you can license for it or something.

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ravn0s
Posted 04:11pm 04/5/12

looks like all of tamriel will be available.

edit: actually looks like it's just speculation.

last edited by ravn0s at 16:11:51 04/May/12

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Nerfy
Posted 05:33pm 04/5/12

There's some new details here.

Sounds pretty uninspiring, though at least is based on somewhat proven mechanics. I might give it a whirl to at least explore the elder scrolls world.

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Enska
Posted 05:45pm 04/5/12

I'm with khel, that doesn't look very Elder Scrolls, it just looked decent. I'd expect a bit more then decent for an MMO carrying that name tbh.

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Grundar
Posted 07:26pm 04/5/12

Elder Scrolls games have always been about the singular hero saving existence as they know it. With an MMO there is going to be a marked lack of this - the essence of the Elder Scrolls will not translate well to an MMO.

If they can pull off the epic feeling of the ES games (and I mean what epic used to mean and not the diluted crap it has meme'd to today) and still offer the MMO experience, well good luck to them it will be a great success.

I'll reserve judgment until I've seen more, just wondering how they will go about covering that epic feel.

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Nerfy
Posted 07:31pm 04/5/12

I've always liked TES because it feels like playing a slow vague book which kind of just goes in the direction where you want it to on the next page, so yeah, the only thing this MMO seems to have going for it is the world, which I'd like to see more of. Going back in time seems like a big mistake though, would much rather see the story move forward, would be many times more interesting.

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Enska
Posted 08:40pm 04/5/12

my guess is bethesda weren't keen on letting them come up with future lore, as they probably have an idea of the way its going to go already with the sp games.

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BladeRunner
Posted 09:16pm 04/5/12

When I herd the news this morning I was disapointed. Now that I know that Bethesda will not be handling it and Zenimax online will, I am happy. This way it should not take resources away from Bethesda so they can continue making awesome single player stuff. I care not for the fate of this MMO and it does not seem like TES visually. Re-skined TOR.

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Eorl
Posted 10:02pm 04/5/12

Bethesda Game Studios is still working on the singleplayer titles, so no fears there.

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Shaexen
Posted 11:52pm 04/5/12

Hero engine? Yuck, all I need to know about this one.

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DM
Posted 10:15am 05/5/12

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Khel
Posted 12:03pm 05/5/12

Hahaha, marketting tagline fail

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arkter
Posted 12:20pm 05/5/12

The leaked screenshots don't really seem legit...

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