How? I can think of some concerns about the MMO in general, but I can't really see any very valid reason as to how an MMO will ruin the Elder Scrolls series, especially given the limited amount of information we have. I can think of plenty reasons why it won't, including:

- it will, more likely than not, respect canon. Meaning that Molag Bal isn't going to be destroyed, there's not going to be some sort of world-breaking cataclysm, we aren't going to introduce any new permanent races or gods

- it will, almost definitely, not stop the development of single player Elder Scrolls games. It is set far before even Morrowind. Not to mention, TES is primarily marketed towards consoles (especially with Skyrim), and TES:O will obviously not be a console game

- it will not pull a World of Warcraft, picking up where Skyrim left off. Meaning that it won't create any new, garbage canon. They aren't going to pull an Arthas, destroying great lore for the purpose of a generic "we won" ending to an expansion. The future of the Elder Scrolls is and will remain entirely untouched by this new addition

- effort on the project will not reduce the quality of single player games substantially, if even at all, for two reasons. First, I think it is reasonable to assume that the team that did Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim will not be leading off this game. They may have a minor role, but I imagine they will stick to what they do best - single-player. For evidence, look at how good Skyrim is. Now consider the fact that TES:O has been in existence for 1-2 years. (At this point, ardent Morrowind/DnD style stats fans will rush to comment)

- it isn't being taken part in by EA or Activision. 'nuff said

I'm a little concerned about it, I won't lie. I'm afraid it'll fail. But given Skyrim's popularity, it could do a number to (though certainly not surpass) WoW. TES:O is unique in that it doesn't just take the easy way out, continuing on (and ruining) pre-established story evidence. It has to work within the limits of TES lore and history.

So stop worrying so much. For now.

Console sales, TESO has none.

I'm just paranoid they're going to be like "Gee, Morrowind is too weird for people, we'll turn it into a forest with a faux-medieval England culture!" I'm sure that's not going to happen, but logic doesn't stop the paranoia.

It focus's attention away from the single player and will be giving more details about Tamriel that could have been explored freshly in TES single player. Now if they do Black Marsh in the MMO you'll expect Black Marsh single player to follow a template set in the MMO. I assume both teams were in contact to discuss where exactly they would take it. So you've lost the joy of discovery there. Many people also did not like the direction of the TES series from Morrowind to Oblivion to Skyrim. A lot of these factors to me make it look as though they are taking away from the single player.

Not saying it will be a good or bad game here. Just saying this feels ominous to the future of TES as a single player RPG game.

Most whiners are just stupid IMO. Trying to compare it to Warcraft Series (which was a PC only Titel) clearly shows that.

Also bashing a Game they know nothing about is another massive fail (but quite amusing to read).

My general opinion is that it will be great...if it added more people to kill, respawning dungeons, lesser things to load, you know, all those "resources"...

Further disregard for the lore by the companies responsible for the series' creation, in that you play as someone who had his soul stolen by Molag Bal (which should mean you're dead), who is embroiled in schemes with Mannimarco (who has no reason to ally with anyone) to deliver all of Tamriel to the King of [censored]'s realm (which Molag Bal should have no reason to want). Mannimarco's trying to trick the Imperials into helping him by using necromancy (about as hated by Cyrodiils as anyone else at the time) to raise undead troops for the Empire to fuel their war machine (even though the Potentate would probably want no such thing).

I really wish I was making this up. Just wait a while, you'll see.

If anything, I see it only benefitting the series by expanding the PC following.

I don't think that it'll ruin the Elder Scrolls, it'll more likely just expand upon the lore, and create a deeper and more detailed TES universe than we already had.

In my opinion, worst case scenario is that the game completely flops, TES6 comes out and the we are no better or worse off in the end. It takes place a millenium in the past, so what could they honestly screw up? I don't see it happening, the lore will probably not be touched very much besides reintroducing the things we already know about the lore.

Bethesda is probably developing TES6 or Fallout 4 already, and we won't see these games altered much by this new MMO. Just my opinion.

That is not 100% true, they could very well be waiting to bring it to Next Gen hardware which is likely going to happen late 2013 or 2014, chances are if it is successful on PC first... it will make it's way to next gen hardware. MMO's on consoles have been done before.

Not saying that it will ruin the Elder Scrolls, just wanted to point that out...

I just don't enjoy MMOs. When I play TES, I like to completely absorb myself in the game. That gets ruined for me pretty fast when there are other people running around chatting.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a260/freds4sale/multiplayer.jpg

This is my fear

*Curls up and cries*

Then don't play it.

If you don't like racing games, don't pick up TES: Kart Racing. If you don't like MMOs then don't pick up TESO.

Bethesda is still free to make new TES single player games, and you know they will. Don't listen to Todd if he says otherwise.

A TES MMO in no way affects the future of single player TES RPGs. If you don't like MMOs, simply don't play it and wait for Bethesda to make the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls series.

No whining require, no condemnation of Elder Scrolls Online needed. Just sit tight and wait. Those of us excited about this game are the only ones that truly need to be worried about anything.

I perceive that people enjoy TES games for two major reasons.

First is the sandbox nature of the world. People enjoy being able to wander without restriction and find hidden stories and secrets that the developers have placed in difficult-to-find or out-of-the-way areas. In a game that is meant to include the entirety of Tamriel there will far more land to design, and I fear that the developers will be unable to populate it all as realistically and thoughtfully as the single player games have been. Also, any leveling or PvP systems might detract from the freedom of exploration that we've come to expect from TES.

The second thing that I think makes the Elder Scrolls so enticing is their uniquely complex and developed lore. The idea that a Daedra Prince will be invading Tamriel in the Second Era (after Sotha Sil made his pact with the Royalty) isn't an altogether encouraging start. Even given such a dubious pretext, it doesn't make sense for there to be no records or references to this invasion in the other games. A Daedric invasion is something that you'd think would be remembered even a thousand years into the future. I worry that these inconsistencies might be indicative of a haphazard appreciation for the lore on the developer's part.

I remain cautiously optimistic, but it is in my nature to fear the worst and what I have heard is not easing my mind.

An unlikely concern. Example; World of Warcraft has several, various zones, almost one of each type. I'm sure there's a Morrowind-esque one somewhere in those land masses. Believe it or not, being a big-name MMO doesn't mean everything is fantasy and fairies.


Stop. How? How does this happen? If someone cleans the restrooms at the donut shop, and all of the sudden the donuts start getting better, does that mean the bathrooms start getting filthier? The Elder Scrolls Online will more likely than not be made without direct involvement from the traditional Elder Scrolls team. The only link between the two is Zenimax's money, and with the profits from TESO I'm sure they'll be able to fund the single player games just as much.


When you discover something in the Elder Scrolls, there's two sides (well, at least for me). The first is the natural side - the mountains, the valleys, the marshes, the hills. These will be mostly the same between both Elder Scrolls games. The second is the artificial side - burial tombs, cities, monuments. You have to realize that TESO is taking place a long, long time before whatever date TES VI will be set in, especially if they do such a large gap as they did from Oblivion to Skyrim. So everything that is man-made - even things such as burial crypts, especially things such as cities - will be almost entirely new. Nor will an MMO cover nearly as much as Skyrim did - there won't be hundreds and hundreds of dungeons. You'll still have a solid element of discovery in single-player games.



And where did you pull this up?



A good outlook to have. Perhaps you are correct.



Can you name any successful MMO on a console? There's a reason Halo Wars flopped - nobody wants to play games that require a lot of controls on a gamepad. And given the nature of MMOs in general, we can't go by the one-button-fits-all style of Skyrim nor the combat pause style of Dragon Age (because you can't pause real time combat). I wouldn't rule it out 100%, but I very much doubt it.

If successful it could give Bethesda a bigger budget for TES VI and that would be a huge benefit for the series as well.

Not to say I'm overly excited but I will reserve judgement until I know more.

Umm Final Fantasy was defiantly successful & an MMO on Xbox 360 and PS3, then you have DC Universe Online which didn't do too bad on PS3, and Free Realms on PS3 which also didn't do to bad. So yes there are successful MMO's on console.

Thats the problem. The majority of MMO players can be very different from people who mostly enjoy solo RPGs(not saying you cant like both, just that a lot of MMOers just play MMOs). Thats fine. The problem is when they have to cater to MMO players when they make new single player RPGs, which is what Bethesda will do(as is evident in how they consolised TES with Oblivion, catering to their biggest sale base).

If they could keep the RPG series separate from the MMO, it could be really great. But they wont, TES is already moving too mainstream and this will just make it worse.

Kneejerk reactions FTW.

If you listen to enough people, everything is going to ruin the Elder Scrolls. I imagine that there were people in 1996 talking about how Daggerfall was going to ruin things, and they apparently haven't let up since.

This is one of the most rational posts I've read today.

From what I've read of these scans that have been floating around, it appears that this game will be bastardizing a sizable portion of the series' lore. I only hope that BGS decides not to treat it as canon.

Apparently the Nords are allied with Tribunal Morrowind.

This does not bode well.