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Lend a helping hand in the Elder Scrolls Online

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:00:00 EST

Despite its hefty name recognition, The Elder Scrolls Online has a tough row to hoe. It's a brand new massively multiplayer RPG trying to join a market dominated by titans like World of Warcraft. And, unlike competitors such as Star Wars: The Old Republic or the upcoming The Secret World, it can't use a unique setting as a primary distinction to set it apart from WoW.

Just like WoW, Elder Scrolls Online has everything from orcs to dwarves and pastoral beauty to snow-covered wastes. So let's talk about a couple of actual differences, namely ESO's combat, reward systems and cooperative "synergy" skills.

Gallery: The Elder Scrolls Online (E3 2012)

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Lend a helping hand in the Elder Scrolls Online originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unfurling Elder Scrolls Online with lead gameplay designer Nick Konkle

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:15:00 EST

After witnessing an E3 demonstration of The Elder Scrolls Online (more on that soon!), we took a moment to chat with its lead gameplay designer, Nick Konkle, about the visual design, combat, social features and cooperative reward system. Also, about how a warrior can turn a mage's flame vortex into a shower of fireballs.

Unfurling Elder Scrolls Online with lead gameplay designer Nick Konkle originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More ouroboros: The Elder Scrolls Online announcement trailer

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:15:00 EST

Old alliances broken, new things forged, the enemy of your enemy is your friend ... and all that faux-wise voice-over material culminates in another shot of the triple ouroboros. Enjoy this teaser for The Elder Scrolls Online that tells you less than is already known.

More ouroboros: The Elder Scrolls Online announcement trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Elder Scrolls Online details unfurled

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

Details from Game Informer's Elder Scrolls Online cover story have already begun appearing online, it would seem. The game has been in development since 2007 by a team of 250, according to a post on NeoGAF. It will feature full voice acting throughout and will be played from a third-person perspective (generally not the most efficient way to play previous Elder Scrolls titles). As mentioned in yesterday's announcement, The Elder Scrolls Online takes place 1000 years in the past and will span almost all of Tamriel, though certain areas are being saved for the purposes of future expansions.

Zenimax Online is reportedly doing its best to strike a balance between the Elder Scrolls series and traditional MMOs, trying to appeal to players of both. In other words, yes, expect to use a traditional MMO hotbar to access your skills. You can also expect epic player-vs-player battles - up to 100-vs-100 in some instances - as factions compete to take over Cyrodil's Imperial City, with the winning faction installing its greatest champion as emperor. The NeoGAF post has plenty of other details and, of course, July's issue of Game Informer has even more.

Gallery: The Elder Scrolls Online (Concept Art)

First Elder Scrolls Online details unfurled originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Elder Scrolls Online media revealed

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:20:00 EST

We know next to nothing about Elder Scrolls Online at this point, but we may have our first glimpse of what the game will look like. A smattering of images, including concept art and what appear to be either screenshots or target renderings, have been published by All Games Beta. Elder Scrolls fans will certainly spot a few familiar elements, notably a flame Atronach.

Gallery: The Elder Scrolls Online (Concept Art)

Rumor: Elder Scrolls Online media revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2012 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA, Bethesda, and Sony Online vets form Second Star Interactive

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:50:00 EST

Hero's Journey may be no more than a distant memory at this point, but Simutronics' HeroEngine -- the game engine currently being employed by BioWare to create Star Wars: The Old Republic, among other things -- is still going strong. After being quietly scooped up by Idea Fabrik in 2010, the HeroEngine is now being used to create a game in-house at a newly formed studio, Second Star Interactive.

Formed by ex-Bethesda, EA, and Sony Online Entertainment devs and execs, SSI intends on creating an online game of some form that will launch "later this year." The release also notes that "a number of third-party developers who have licensed HeroEngine also plan to launch games featuring the technology before the end of 2011," which is especially interesting as the two main development houses working with the engine are BioWare and ZeniMax Online (parent company of Bethesda Softworks and id Software). We know about BioWare's big game, but we've yet to hear anything about what ZeniMax Online has planned.

EA, Bethesda, and Sony Online vets form Second Star Interactive originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumorang: Elder Scrolls MMO three years into development

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:45:00 EST

According to VG247's "very reliable" source, Bethesda Softworks is already three years deep into development on an Elder Scrolls MMO. Recent court documents in the ongoing Bethesda/Interplay lawsuit have allegedly revealed that Bethesda has "close to 100 people working on a secret World of Warcraft-type MMO" -- a tasty piece of info that it's said to be currently fighting to have redacted from a 218-page court transcript.

Furthermore, the unannounced MMO is said to be "very close" to being unveiled. We could even be seeing a release of the purported title later this year, as the transcript is said to also reveal a four-year development cycle (starting in late 2006 would put that either later this year or early 2011). Bethesda has commented in the past that it is currently not working on an MMO, though ZeniMax Online (another studio under Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media) is working on a currently unannounced title. We contacted Bethesda for comment and were told, "We aren't talking about what that studio is working on and don't comment on rumors and speculation."

Source 1 - VG247
Source 2 - Duck and Cover Forums

Rumorang: Elder Scrolls MMO three years into development originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bethesda clarifies MMO claims, Elder Scrolls V statements

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:00:00 EST

Rather than let the statements made at QuakeCon 2009 by Elder Scrolls executive producer Todd Howard rest as they are, Bethesda's Pete Hines has clarified a few things on the company's blog. First and foremost, he wants to make sure that people know that another Elder Scrolls game will eventually be released. "Both Todd and I have said repeatedly that, of course, we're going to do another Elder Scrolls game," Hines outright states. Rather than comment directly on what Bethesda is currently working on, he instead notes that, "We aren't going to confirm or deny or comment on speculation, nor are we going to give hints about anything ... if you know us by now, you know we don't really do that."

Hines additionally points out that Bethesda Softworks (the game studio) isn't working on an MMO at the moment, per the speculation surrounding a possible Elder Scrolls MMO. ZeniMax Online Studios, however, is working on an MMO, though "they have not said anything about what game they are making." It looks as though an upcoming Elder Scrolls MMO may be more likely than seeing numero cinco anytime soon, folks. What happened to that "possible 2010 release," eh, Bethesda?

Bethesda clarifies MMO claims, Elder Scrolls V statements originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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