The Elder Scrolls Online is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing video game developed by ZeniMax Online Studios, to be released in 2014.[4] It is a part of The Elder Scrolls video game franchise, of which it is the first open-ended multiplayer installment. It was announced on May 3, 2012, in an exclusive reveal by Game Informer and formally revealed in the same month's issue of the magazine.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Gameplay
2 Setting
3 Development
4 References
5 External links
Gameplay
As with Oblivion and Morrowind, there will be classes. In this particular game there will be four, these include: Dragon Knight, Templar, Sorcerer and Nightblade.
As in previous The Elder Scrolls titles, the gameplay will be mostly nonlinear[6] with a mixture of quests, random events, and encouragement for players to simply explore the world.[7] The game has no offline mode, although the developers have stated that there will be "plenty of content" designed to accommodate players who prefer to play solo.[8]
Setting
As with other games in The Elder Scrolls franchise, the game will be set in the continent of Tamriel and feature a storyline indirectly connected with the other games. The game will be set a millennium before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and around 800 years before The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, with the Daedric Prince Molag Bal appearing as the main antagonist as he attempts to pull all of Tamriel to his realm of Coldharbour.[1]
Most of the continent of Tamriel will be playable in the game (although much of it will be locked off for expansion content), and players will have the opportunity to join any of the three factions warring over the throne of the Emperor of Tamriel:[1] The Aldmeri Dominion (represented by an eagle), composed of Altmer (High elf), Bosmer (Wood elf), and Khajiit; the Daggerfall Covenant (represented by a lion), composed of Bretons, Redguards, and Orsimer (Orcs); and the Ebonheart Pact (represented by a dragon), composed of Nords, Dunmer (Dark elf) and Argonians.
Development
The Elder Scrolls Online had been in development for 5 years prior to its announcement in May 2012.[1] It is the first project for ZeniMax Online Studios, which was formed in 2007. Matt Firor, studio lead at Zenimax Online, is also the director of The Elder Scrolls Online.[2]
While there have been rumors of a massively multiplayer The Elder Scrolls game for years, accurate information about the game and its imminent May 2012 announcement was leaked in March 2012 to online publication Tom's Guide by an anonymous industry source.[9] According to the leak, the game was scheduled to be shown at E3 2012 in June (which it was) and QuakeCon 2012 in August. The current release date is April 4, 2014 for PC and Mac.[4]
Published November 8, 2012, Bethesda released a video on YouTube called "An Introduction to The Elder Scrolls Online", in which the game's developers talk about the game's content and how it was made.[10]
On January 21, 2013, Beta sign ups for The Elder Scrolls Online began.[11] Rounds for the closed beta were sent out on 26 March 2013,.[12] 8 April 2013,.[13] 9 July 2013, 20 November 2013, 7 January 2014, 4 February 2014, and 26 February 2014.
On June 10, 2013, Sony announced that The Elder Scrolls Online would be available on PlayStation 4 at their E3 press conference. It was later clarified by Bethesda that it would also be available on Xbox One.[14] While players on PC and Mac play together, those on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 play only with others on the same platform.[15]
On August 21, 2013, at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, it was announced that The Elder Scrolls Online will have a monthly subscription fee upon release for all platforms.[16] The monthly fee is set at $14.99.[17] While it was announced on January 28, 2014, that the game will not require a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online,[18] the Xbox One version will require an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription in addition to The Elder Scrolls Online's $14.99 /mo. subscription.[19]
On January 23, 2014 several actors were announced to voice cast the characters of The Elder Scrolls Online, among them John Cleese, Bill Nighy, Kate Beckinsale, Lynda Carter, Alfred Molina, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Hale, Malcolm McDowell, and Peter Stormare.
(Quote by wikipedia)
