I can't say for certain what the controls were like for Battlespire, but I assume since it started life as a Daggerfall expansion pack, it at least shared similar controls. And Morrowind and Redguard's art styles are fairly similar, although of course Redguard is a few years older. They also all share a development team, at least in part.

The books don't count. They're not games. You might as well say that the Alduin statue that came with the Skyrim collector's edition isn't Elder Scrolls because it's a toy.

TES Online's art style doesn't resmble an Elder Scrolls game. The gameplay doesn't resemble an Elder Scrolls game. There's less player freedom than you'd find in an Elder Scrolls game.

I'm not necessarily saying it'll be a bad game, as I obviously haven't played it yet. What I am saying, is that from the information we have so far, there's nothing outside of the setting that resembles any other game in the series, except maybe Arena. And Arena was pretty damn generic.

KOTOR and Battlefront are both Star Wars games. Completely different gameplay and mechanics, but all set in the rich Star Wars universe.

What else would it need? Are Redguard and Battlespire not Elder Scrolls? Are The Infernal City and Lord of Souls not Elder Scrolls?

Although it started as games, The Elder Scrolls is so much more by now. It's a complex and rich fantasy IP with a huge body of lore. It can stand on its own.

Star Wars didn't start as a game, though. The backstory is literally all there is. WIth games, there's the backstory AND the gameplay. Games are an interactive medium, you see, meaning the interactivity is just as integral as the narrative.

Eg. A Grand Theft Auto racing game. It's set in Vice City or Los Santos or wherever, but what's particularly GTAish about it.

I see your point, but regardless it is an elder scrolls game. Saying it isn't is just nonsense.

Now I agree it isn't an elder scrolls game in the traditional gameplay aspect, but it is elder scrolls. Fact.

This isn't an Elder Scrolls game as far as I'm concerned, it looks nothing like the previous Elder Scrolls, it will not play like the previous Elder Scrolls. It may be a good game, but it won't be an Elder Scrolls.

He's not saying it isn't literally an Elder Scrolls game. That can't be denied.

He's saying that it is so dis-similar to any previous TES games, it might as well not be called TES to him, which I personally agree with.