Today, Bethesda Softworks announced that a new project in The Elder Scrolls series was under development. You might think that in and of itself was cool enough, but it gets better: The next game will be an MMORPG! Indeed, the previous games possessed a massive open-world feel to them that made them feel as if they were online games without other real players there (heck, the NPCs were incredibly dynamic!). So, it seems that the developers have finally chosen to play off of that idea and construct a truly deep and vibrant world to be enjoyed with countless people worldwide.
According to their official press release:
The Elder Scrolls Online is being developed for PC and Mac under the leadership of industry veteran Matt Firor, who has spent the last two decades working in online game development. Details about the game are revealed in an exclusive cover story in Game Informer®’s June issue, which ships to subscribers and newsstands this month.
“We have been working hard to create an online world in which players will be able to experience the epic Elder Scrolls universe with their friends, something fans have long said they wanted,” said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online. “It will be extremely rewarding finally to unveil what we have been developing the last several years. The entire team is committed to creating the best MMO ever made – and one that is worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.”
The game is set to take place 1,000 years before the events of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” and although a release date has yet to be announced, 2013 is likely the target release year.
SOURCE: Bethesda Softworks
My fear is that it won’t live up to expectations. It has to be OMG FANTASTICAL to even compete with other MMOs.
If they really wanted to make an MMO, they now have the rights to do so for Fallout. Why not just make a Fallout MMO? That would be so much easier, so much more fun and would attract a lot of people.
There has been talk for a long time about a possible Fallout MMORPG. I would actually like to see that probably more than one in the Elder Scrolls universe. The issue I have with an ES MMORPG would be that it would end up a lot like TOR – a game derived from a single-player series that would result in a pay-to-play solo experience.