Sony's Press Conference surpassed expectations on many fronts, and in one of the more low key moments, the company demonstrated support for Bethesda's upcoming Massively Mutliplayer Online Game The Elder Scrolls Online (TESO). The developer's first foray into the MMO space will debut on both the Xbox One and PS4, and launch an early beta exclusively for Playstation owners. Perhaps the genre will finally break through to console gamers.
So, what should gamers unfamiliar with the new title expect? Anyone who has played Oblivion, Skyrim, or any one of the several other entries in the Elder Scrolls series will immediately recognize the franchise's signature first person perspective.
Game Director Matt Frior tells GameReactor that the game "is more a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game than an MMO. [The game has] very limited UI, nice and clean, not a lot of bars. The combat system is very much action-based. It's also soloable, you can solo almost the entire game. We wanted to get Elder Scrolls players who were unfamiliar with online games and MMO terms to get in, play, have fun and get introduced to the multiplayer aspects."
The Elder Scrolls has never introduced multiplayer until now, marking a significant departure for the development team. Although the TESO is charting its own territory in a new space, the team assures us that The Elder Scrolls DNA will survive the transition.
"We promote that you're the hero, you get to make choices, because even if you're not in a group and you're talking to a NPC, and they give you a choice - that choice is yours," explains Firor. "Not your group; there are no group decisions in this game."
Star Wars: The Old Republic notably introduced group decisions into its storytelling. Although naysayers argue that the MMO is dying, Bethesda has a chance to reinvigorate the genre, much like Guild Wars 2 did.
Check back with Latinos Post for the latest updates on The Elder Scrolls Online.