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Elder Scrolls Online confirmed for 2013

Massively multiplayer take on open-world RPG series to be set 1,000 years before Skyrim in a Tamriel endangered by daedric prince Molag Bal.

1117 Comments

Skyrim fans yearning to explore the game's fantasy world with other people will get the chance next year, as Bethesda Softworks today announced The Elder Scrolls Online, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game take on the long-running series, set for release in 2013.

The Elder Scrolls is finally going online.
The Elder Scrolls is finally going online.

Bethesda didn't reveal any gameplay details, but a Game Informer tease for the magazine's cover story on Elder Scrolls Online revealed that the game will cover the entire continent of Tamriel, including the lands featured in previous Elder Scrolls games like Cyrodiil, Skyrim, and Morrowind. The game will be set 1,000 years before the events of last year's hit Skyrim and will put players into the world on the brink of demonic assimilation at the hands of the daedric prince Molag Bal.

Elder Scrolls Online will also feature three player factions, though they were not detailed. However, a rumor that made the rounds in March and correctly predicted the game's announcement suggested that they will be represented by animals: a lion, a dragon, and an unspecified bird of prey.

The Elder Scrolls Online will be the debut game from Zenimax Online Studios, which was established five years ago with Mythic Entertainment cofounder Matt Firor (Dark Age of Camelot) heading up the operation. Firor is also serving as game director on the project.

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adidas32x

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Edited By adidas32x

Awesome! Now to laugh at all the people crying, "WHAAAA SINGLE PLAYER WHAAA WHAAAA WHAAA HATE MMO WHAAAA" lololol and a ha ha ha

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okassar

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Edited By okassar

@adidas32x

The same category of people that say "HERP DERP THE CURRENT GENERATION OF SYSTEMS IS JUST FINE, 6 YEARS IS TOO SHORT NO NO DON'T MAKE A NEW ONE FOCUS ON GOOD GAMES"

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argonath77

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Edited By argonath77

@adidas32x im sorry for you

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adidas32x

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Edited By adidas32x

@argonath77

i'm more sorry for you

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adidas32x

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Edited By adidas32x

@NeilCardiff

LOL, selfish? How do you get selfish from anything I've said. Look up the word kid and dry your teary eyes lol.

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NeilCardiff

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Edited By NeilCardiff

@adidas32x

Grow up you selfish, annoying child.

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flucx

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Edited By flucx

people need to stop complaining. no one has any idea what its going to look like or how its going to play!

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Scorch_22

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Edited By Scorch_22

NOOOOOOO!!!

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Terdog

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Edited By Terdog

I'm excited for this but im also reserved. Will all the great single player aspects of this come over, or will be like Star Wars The Old Republic. Ive always like the Elder Scrolls games (Oblivion being my fav). Also, I refuse to get it if it has a monthly subscription. We dont need that , as guild wars has shown.But please not F2P like some of the others have gone)

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okassar

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Edited By okassar

@Terdog

The difference is that Bethesda actually lives up to hype. Old Republic didn't and I never expected it too.

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Terdog

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Edited By Terdog

@okassar True, I did purchae the Old Republic, and i was not impressed. Still, im going to wait for details on this and see. Hopefully there will be a trial or open beta or everyone to give it a go.

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g1rldraco7

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Edited By g1rldraco7

This will kill Skyrim's image.

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Sefrix

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Edited By Sefrix

Seems this is the death of single player. Not everything has to be online.

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@Sefrix yeah, but they make more money, and they can use this to slowly take out the used game market once everyone is online.

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@wowwow27 @Sefrix if they make money doing this, they will likely keep doing this and will drop off single player. it's all about the money and likely always will be.

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Sefrix

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Edited By Sefrix

@wowwow27 That's pretty optimistic and I'm sort of doubting that's how it will work.

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@Sefrix i do love some single player games, but i would be fine with it as long as they kept putting in the resources to develop single player games that are still as good. sadly, no company has unlimited resources, so if this is a real success, you might be right :(

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argonath77

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Edited By argonath77

I was hoping this is not going to happen , DAM IT , world of games have lost the best RPG , dam you MMO , i hate MMO .

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@argonath77 yeah, well we lost are best rpg's when square merged, :OP

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7he_Great_Dane

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Edited By 7he_Great_Dane

@wowwow27 @argonath77 Creativity has been lost....

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

agree. but journey is cool, just needs to be expanded upon.

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aetius_

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Edited By aetius_

aaaaaaaaaaaaa! I hope this will be done like it should be! awesome :)))

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FlamingFartz

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Edited By FlamingFartz

Sounds like it could be pretty cool. Doubt my laptop will run it though :p.

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@FlamingFartz my laptop is 3 years old and still plays crysis on medium and other new games all right (granted it IS a gaming laptop with an nvidia 9800m). you never know until they post the specs!

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@FlamingFartz what happened to taht streaming game thing, eventually you may not even need hardware.

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gbrading

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Edited By gbrading

Oh dear. :(

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okassar

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Edited By okassar

@LancerVI

Hmm, makes sense.

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

it would be like a campout (good times)

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

hmm i dunno. part of what i really enjoy about these RPGs is that they're single player. i love having a world where i am the only one mucking things up in :)

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@zyxe yeah, but to have the option to play with friends is epic, i hate talking on the phone, but i could chat all day in a video game. plus skyrim isnt that jrpg fantasy world anyway.

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@wowwow27 i guess part of my problem is that i don't have a lot of gamer friends, sadly, and i've been bitten by people in MMOs when they start getting a tad too personal and start creeping me out!

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@wowwow27 *high five* :)

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@zyxe i hate mmos but i could see skyrim work as multiplayer

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

it doesnt need to be mmo, just allow a group to go out and battle, like maybe 5-10 people.

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@wowwow27 online co-op (with more than 1 other player) could be more cool, i see where you're going! but yeah, once they do that, why not go all the way i guess...

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Arete_

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Edited By Arete_

@wowwow27 That's like doing things halfway. Might as well go all the way with it.

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tachsniper

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Edited By tachsniper

I want it to be epic but i don't know... got a bad feeling about this one guys.

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okassar

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Edited By okassar

@tachsniper

Other than with bugs, Bethesda has a relatively screw-up free history. Solely based off of that, I am confident in their ability to make the best MMO ever.

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@LancerVI i can always dream, but i am sure one day.

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norolim

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Edited By norolim

@LancerVI I don't need to know anything about it, to know it will destroy the single player series...I don't care about MMOs, and after this piece of news I actually hate them

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norolim

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Edited By norolim

@LancerVI And you stay in the cradle. You know how difficult walking and talking can bee. We wouldn't want you to stumble on your tongue and die

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zyxe

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Edited By zyxe  Moderator

@LancerVI @norolim i dunno, some basements are quite cozy. stock up my fridge and i'm good to chill for a long while away from everyone else ;)

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norolim

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Edited By norolim

@LancerVI You don't seem to understand, but perhaps this is just the way you are. And try starting by making some decisions about your own future. It probably will require all your available proccessing power

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

my brother lives on one side of the states, my cousin on the other side, i am in the middle, would rather chat while playing this then talk on the phone or through email.

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okassar

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Edited By okassar

I'll build my house in Morrowind, next to the House of Hlaalu. Imagine the faction battles!

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

i still think they need a patch for skyrim on the consoles to allow 3 people to play together!

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norolim

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Edited By norolim

:( another great RPG series consumed by bloody mmos...these are sad times for RPGs

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okassar

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Edited By okassar

@norolim

If it's first person, with all the same features and graphics as the non-MMOs, then this will be epic.

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

hope i can use my headset to talk while we do battle and explore

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Gamer_Chick1982

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Edited By Gamer_Chick1982

Ugh. I'll pass.

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NicholasT33

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Edited By NicholasT33

@Gamer_Chick1982 Agreed, Elder Scrolls was the perfect offline experience. Bethesda wants to make an MMO, fine by me but why tarnish the brand. Create something new please !

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wowwow27

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Edited By wowwow27

@okassar the story is not the reason i play skyrim, its for the epic action and adventure!

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Bread_or_Decide

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Edited By Bread_or_Decide

My favorite thing about Skyrim is that I'm the only griefer in the game. Ugh. Now I'll have way too much company. No thanks.

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