Elder Scrolls going online?

PALGN Rumour | New website silently opens up...

During some domain searching, Voodoo Extreme discovered that the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax Media, recently purchased a web domain called 'ElderScrollsOnline.com'.

This adds to the rumour of an online version of the massively popular RPG franchise, as an online game division headed by Mythic co-founder Matt Firor was announced recently. Combining the website with the new division, it's looking more and more like the series that spawned the awesome Oblivion will be playable with people from around the globe.

Bethesda have yet to give an official response to the discovery, but we think that an online version of one of the biggest games of all time certainly sounds appealing. We'll have more information on the possibility of an online Elder Scrolls game as soon as we hear it.

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20 Comments

ObsoletE

5 years ago

makes sense, since Morrowind and Oblivion both played like single player MMOs. (if that makes sense itself.)

Sin Ogaris

5 years ago

Yeah, The Elder Scrolls series was destined to be an MMO. So long as it kept both aspects, i.e you could enjoy the World solo, or jump online and share it with friends. Sometimes I like a wide expansive World where I'm the only "living" thing in it.

Capoeira

5 years ago

Unfortunately, I just lost interest in the future of the series...

I liked that the Elder Scrolls was a massively single player series. It was a one of kind experience. You were one person in a massive world and you didn't have to share that with anyone else. If I wanted that, I'd go play one of the countless other fantasy themed MMO's on the market. Do we really need another?

Just how many epic single player fantasy RPG's are there? Games that have the scope of an elder scrolls game? I'm really disappointed at this news. What a shame.

ObsoletE

5 years ago

Sin Ogaris wrote

So long as it kept both aspects, i.e you could enjoy the World solo, or jump online and share it with friends.

that could work.
sort of like the Multiplayer aspect of Crackdown, but instead you explore dungeons with a friend.

but in a slightly less homosexual sounding manner.

Sin Ogaris

5 years ago

Capoeira wrote

Fallout 3... so close, so very close!

Passa

5 years ago

This isn't bad news really. As Sun Ogaris said, if they kept the solo aspects of the game as well, I think it will only add to the experience. Morrowind and Oblivion were both awesome games.

InvivnI

5 years ago

As long as they keep the real time combat aspects it would be pretty decent I guess. As long as they don't go down the "hit the attack button and wait till either one of you dies" path it should be fine.

Even so I wouldn't buy it, I hate subscription gaming.

ManeKast

5 years ago

I just hope they open it up to 2-8 players kinda thing.

Even Co-Op with 2-4 ppl wouldd kick ass.

Online doesnt nescassarily mean MMO. They could just charge us for co-op play, say $10 patch or upgrade, I think that would make it awesome with friends. Gets a little lonely out there.

Flypaper

5 years ago

It seems like a pretty natural fit, really.

- Sprawling and slightly underpopulated worlds created from a limited tileset/texture base.
- Dungeons that can easily be instanced separately.
- Expansive skill system that makes for a variety of builds and would allow multiplayer-complementary party systems.
- NPCs controlled by looping AI slash dialogue trees.
- NPC-driven quests system.
- Overall plots that can easily be made protagonist-agnostic (i.e. the game doesn't care if you're a ninja or a pirate).
- L00t. And grind.
- Formerly old-skool PC-centric developers who are now escaping further into console territory... But who could probably be persuaded that MMOs are the one form of PC gaming who's revenue is immune to software piracy.

Now, whether it would be interesting, or even fun, is another question entirely...

LeonJ

5 years ago

I couldn't think of anything worse. I've tired SO many times to get through Oblivion but I keep getting bored.

Gamesta

5 years ago

Sounds good.The reason I never bought Oblivion was because it wasn't an MMO.

Lord Haart

5 years ago

Um... could just mean "Online source for Elder Scrolls stuff".

Nothing solid pointing towards an MMO, just towards an online source for the series.

Gamesta wrote

Sounds good.The reason I never bought Oblivion was because it wasn't an MMO.

Man you must be regretting that decision... probably one of the top 10 games I've ever played.

If it was online it would have been terrible - much lower graphics/physics/AI/complexity, plus you actually have to put up with other human players...

Capoeira

5 years ago

Lord Haart wrote

If it was online it would have been terrible - much lower graphics/physics/AI/complexity, plus you actually have to put up with other human players...

That's another thing, at least the technical stuff. If this is indeed going to be an online Elder Scrolls game, I don't think we'll be seeing the kind of graphical fidelity the series is well known for. I don't doubt it'll be one of the better looking MMO's on the market, but compared to a single player campaign, I think sacrifices will be be made.

Sin Ogaris wrote

Fallout 3... so close, so very close!

But that's not fantasy is it? Ok, I suppose it'll do...

But is it really that close? I've always thought was destined to be a late '08 release. New Fallout game, developed by Bethesda, incredibly high profile, epic in scope; that has got 'delayed development' written all over it.

john_solids

5 years ago

maybe if it was online it would make it a fraction exciting. very boring game. waste of my money.

ObsoletE

5 years ago

john_solids wrote

maybe if it was online it would make it a fraction exciting. very boring game. waste of my money.

i agree actually, i couldn't get into Oblivion, nor could i get into Morrowind before that. i don't really remember why i didn't get into Morrowind but for Oblivion, it was a number of factors.
a) i found the gameplay too similar to an MMO, but without the social aspect. i already played WoW, so why do i want another game that plays the same, but without being able to talk to someone while doing the grind?
b) i hated the way the creatures leveled with you. this was probably the number one thing that irked me about Oblivion. i'm going to be annoyed if Fallout 3 uses the same mechanic.
c) i didn't like the agro-radius of creatures, and i didn't like that you HAD to kill something to get away from it, you couldn't just ignore them and eventually they reset to their patrol zone. if i want to ride from a town to another town, i don't always want to stop because some wolf starts chomping on my ankles. just let me ignore it FFS.

if the "online" points to something like Crackdown, or Neverwinter Night's online modes, then i think it'd be quite good. the game could be enjoyed as a single player game, or small parties could be made from your friends list and be a bit more social. i don't think we need another MMORPG, especially not one set in the ES universe, but i think i could enjoy hacking through some dungeon with a mate or 3.

(I have Oblivion on the PC, so perhaps it's more suited to the XBox, i don't know. but really, i'm not about to spend more money on the game.)

Gamesta

5 years ago

Lord Haart wrote

Um... could just mean "Online source for Elder Scrolls stuff".

Nothing solid pointing towards an MMO, just towards an online source for the series.

Gamesta wrote

Sounds good.The reason I never bought Oblivion was because it wasn't an MMO.

I don't regret my decision to not buy Oblivion one bit.

Passa

5 years ago

You would if you knew what you were missing out on

Anyway after reading Obsolete's post, I'd have to say that small scale multiplayer would be better than just making another MMO. I doubt they'd be able to keep the real time combat if it turned into an MMO. Traversing the large gameworld with some friends would be better in my opinion.

Sin Ogaris

5 years ago

Capoeira wrote

Lord Haart wrote

If it was online it would have been terrible - much lower graphics/physics/AI/complexity, plus you actually have to put up with other human players...

Sin Ogaris wrote

Fallout 3... so close, so very close!

But that's not fantasy is it? Ok, I suppose it'll do...

Well, it's closer to its release date than the point where we got the last game, if you get my drift. But yeah, I was just trying to find some way of making you feel better about a genre that really should be getting more love than it is.

LeonJ

5 years ago

Yes, I agree with a few people in this thread, the game is certainly overhyped and rather dull as a whole.

The leveling system alone is crazy and flawed.

ittekimasu

5 years ago

Definitely would love a more co-op addition to the series just can't seeing it work as a mmo being too small, and the evil side has like... 3 classes? (those demon things which i hate going to)

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