The Elder Scrolls MMO

After Oblivion dragged RPGs kicking and screaming away from D&D-obsessed teenage bedrooms and into the mainstream, it was only a matter of time before the ‘monthly subscription fee’ dollar signs pinged into the eyes of execs at Bethesda. And sure enough, their parent company ploughs a wad of cash into creating ZeniMax Online Studios… and then a website called - wait for it - elderscrollsonline.com pings into life on the web. Coincidence?

So, what can you expect? Well, personally we’d be well chuffed if somebody simply used the existing Oblivion tech and transformed one of the greatest single-player experiences ever into a persistent online world - though on the condition that they ironed out a sluggish engine that could hardly support five elves on screen at one time.

Likely, what’ll really happen is Bethesda’s core team will crack on with developing classic single-player fare like 2008’s eagerly awaited Fallout 3, and cede development of any online titles to a fresh outfit lead by recently-hired MMO legend Matt Firor - who’ll probably poach a bunch of his old team who are currently toiling away on Dark Age of Camelot. So, worst-case scenario, we can expect The Elder Scrolls MMO to be Dark Age of Camelot 2.