Update: Now with added announcement trailer (not one of your five a day)

Bethesda’s just dropped a bombshell. There have been rumours flitting about the web for a while now that the makers of Skyrim and Fallout 3 are working on a massively multiplayer online version of the Elder Scrolls universe, and now it’s official. Thing is, with the details we have, is it the life-sapping game you’ve been longing for, or just another fantasy MMO? Read on to make your own judgement.

The Elder Scrolls Online is set for launch at some point in 2013, and will offer you an online multiplayer version of the worlds and eras found in Skyrim, Oblivion and Mirrowind. There’ll be randomly generated quests, a raft of different races and factions to choose from, player-versus-player action and battles with hundreds of players all at the same time.

Sounds amazing, but the released details also smack of compromise. You just can’t build a game as in-depth as Skyrim and invite millions of people into it. For example, certain areas will be blocked off until you’ve leveled up enough to access them. You won’t be able to buy houses, you’ll be locked into a third-person view and the battle system isn’t real-time – it involves hotbars and cooldown times.

Fallout MMORPG on the way too?

So… It’s basically World of Warcraft? Bethesda has admitted that it’s making these tweaks to allow newcomers to feel at home, rather than building up a barrier that only die-hard Elder Scrolls users can penetrate. But is that wise?

It’s not all bad. Bethesda is implementing some cool features alongside the compromise – like the ability to conquer the Imperial City and make someone emperor, and the fact that some dungeons will be open and publicly available to plunder. Still, MMO Skyrim, this is not.

Now you know the Elder Scrolls Online details, are you as excited? Let us know your thoughts below.

Link: Tech Digest

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  • ibby

    Not excited. I like first person. Maybe they can update the current skyrim so that even if u cant play multiplayer with friends u can meet in pubs in the cities like chat rooms where u can swap stuff or money

    • Omgitrollsz

      that sounds gay you fag

    • Omgitrollsz

      but seriously meeting in pubs sounds like a gay british butt fuck party

      • Anonymous

        Meeting your friends is gay? And that’s a problem? Come back when you’ve grown up please.

      • Anonymous

        Meeting your friends is gay? And that’s a problem? Come back when you’ve grown up please.

      • Anonymous

        Meeting your friends is gay? And that’s a problem? Come back when you’ve grown up please.

      • http://www.facebook.com/GarryKE Garry Karl Edwards

         If you got a problem with meeting us British people in pubs maybe you should come here and say it to our faces :)
        Just a thought.

        • Trevordee

          If they don’t make a full mmo i mean its a great idea but if it doesn’t work at least make it to where up to about 3 other players can join your match and play and quest with you.

  • macamac

    On the other side, i don’t think that’s a fair approach to this.  Even Bioware knew that if they were gonna make an actual competitive MMO against WoW, you’re going to have to take their elements into your own as well. EverQuest was the staple at first, WoW is the staple now (unfort), if you break WoW rules in your MMO, it’s not going to get thtat draw or keep that player base. Companies are going to have to take those WoW elements and just expand on it to get their own niche in it and recognized.  

    • Devour1983

       The real issue is whether or not ardent fans of TES are going to accept the changes made to the game. Why the need for MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of players? If they put out a TES MMO in the TES fashion, they would have a large player base (Maybe not as large as WoW) of people who have come to know and love the TES world and maybe reset the bar for MMO’s in the future. WoW has turned into a bloated cash cow and the top dogs who have played and beat the game repeatedly might be looking for something, new, fresh and intereting to take it’s place. Why not give it to them instead of releasing yet another WoW rip off, that will flare and burn out within a few short years…

  • Paigerere

    amazing

  • Paigerere

    amazing

  • Angry_Nord

    Horrible.  I was excited when I heard about it.  I thought it would have at least a little sand box leveling of skills and the free form combat, but alas, I will just stick to something else rather than have TES ruined for me by a WoW clone version.   EXTREMELY disappointed. 

    I was not even expecting the dynamic world where you can steal everything, leave bodies around etc.  The leveling of skills and combat is the core of TES and it will not be in the game.  No interest now.

  • disgruntled gamer

    I am not happy about it at all. Bethesda should not make an MMO they should go singleplayer games only with maby just a tiny multiplayer aspect alowing a friend to command a companion.

    They should be focusing on Fallout 4 and Skyrim’s Expansion pack not an MMO.

  • http://youngwebbuilder.com/win-a-copy-of-drawplus-x5-from-serif Oliver Neely

    UHGUHGUGHUG

  • Anonymous

    You do know that it is Zenimax who are developing TESO? The whole article is redundant because of your avoidance of doing anything that could be looked at as journalism.

  • Anonymous

    You do know that it is Zenimax who are developing TESO? The whole article is redundant because of your avoidance of doing anything that could be looked at as journalism.

    • no one

      Zenimax is a branch off of bethesda. they are the same fucking shit.

      • Brohemasaurus Rex

        Dumb. Sure zenimax owns bethesda, but bethesda is a specific division of people that work for a company that is owned by zenimax. The people at Bethesda have a specific skill set and mindset that guides their design processes. Everyone at zenimax does not think alike, as proven by this god awful MMO garbage.

        There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea, I would need to write another article.

  • Master_dovakiin

    World of Warcraft clone

  • Hamazovisci2009

     disappointed so disappointed not excited at all game lost its charm it is so fucking gay

  • Hamazovisci2009

     disappointed so disappointed not excited at all game lost its charm it is so fucking gay

  • Brown Cortland

    I want Skyrim to have its own multiplayer… like Red Dead Redemption…. go ape on towns and farms, go tackle a group of forsworn and giants with three friends…. That would be great. I am a mage so I sit back and spam fireball and icy spear and cicero charges in with my other friends? (mage archer and warrior) That would be boss. Or maybe a survival mode where you have a huge bounty everywhere and you see how long you can survive… make pacts with the forsworn or certain bandit camps…

  • Brown Cortland

    I want Skyrim to have its own multiplayer… like Red Dead Redemption…. go ape on towns and farms, go tackle a group of forsworn and giants with three friends…. That would be great. I am a mage so I sit back and spam fireball and icy spear and cicero charges in with my other friends? (mage archer and warrior) That would be boss. Or maybe a survival mode where you have a huge bounty everywhere and you see how long you can survive… make pacts with the forsworn or certain bandit camps…

    • Why Would I Tell You

      I agree
      That would be much better

  • Asd

    This is a pathetic “article” written by a frustrated, left-alone WOW addict.

    • Anonymous

      I can assure you our senior staff writer doesn’t waste his time on WoW – he pours most of it down the drain on Paper for iPad currently!

  • Why Would I Tell You

    I heard about this from friends and thought it was quite cool. After reading this article i’ve realised that it’s gonna be nothing like skyrim.

    I agree that adding multiplayer to Skyrim would be better.  

  • staff

    What?!?
    “… third-person view and the battle system isn’t real-time – it involves hotbars and cooldown times.”

    First person and real time battle is THE WHOLE POINT to Skyrim. I never played WoW just for that reason, non-real time battle is just dumb and for babies…

  • Ynnlarcron

    Yes i agree with the last comment, the most players are more than 14 years old and they aren’t a childs as well, who could play a games like warcraft, i don’t think it is a good way to make a money for a Bethesda, because game will be forgotten after one year, they should focus for a better, more realistic graphic looking games, like all the time, all games companies from a rest of start a game making they all 20 years tried to make more and more realistic graphics, and finally they stoped to progress, because a crowd of +12 plays a stupid looking games? Jesus those games makes young people to become blunt. I prefer games like Devil May Cry, All racing games, Diablo 2, maybe 3 too, Westwood’s Nox, also the most – Skyrim, a good shooting games like Resident Evil, Thom Clancy’s Ghost Recons, Deus Ex, Far Cry, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto… They should make a game like Skyrim + Devil May Cry combos with abilities dodging slashing crushing… The abilities which is not real but actually can be a real, or real-looking means no lights not too much sparks which just lets a player feel like he’s playing 12 old super mario games.

  • hunter

    you’ll be locked into a third-person view and the battle system isn’t real-time – it involves hotbars and cooldown times. THE FUCK IS THAT SHIT

  • Brent

    If they don’t want it to be a WoW clone, they gotta let you choose between, blade, conjuration, illusion, destruction, block, blunt. Ect. So everyone is different depending on what they choose. No classes. Dungeons clearable with 2 people. Don’t make the UI looks exactly like WoWs, and the sword fighting should be like Skyrim and Oblivions, not like WoW where you press one of your abilities and it does a sword swing. You know what I mean…

  • Miles Rout

    I JUST WANT CO-OP SKYRIM GOD DAMN IT

  • NotHappyJan

    Well, their games are dull anyway, and falsely advertised as something better than they actually are.

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