![]() ![]() MMOs are overwhelming, and Rich makes clear, “we don’t want to throw the entire game in a short 15-minute tutorial. Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor and now Blackwood in 2021 all significantly expanded Tamriel’s lore and accessibility for new players. Several large chapters came along the pipeline that invited adventurers back to familiar territory and new spaces. That trajectory reclaimed what was honestly a bit of a joke to Elder Scrolls fans, into experience for series diehards. They loved it.” Rich says this led to their “Chapter Strategy” where “chapters are for all players… you can jump into whatever you want to play, any order you want.” It made ESO very different to other MMOs at the time. Rich explains, “Orsinium was the first DLC we did outside of PVP and we wanted everybody to participate… We tested out some of the mechanics for the battle levelling and players flocked to it. Showcasing how well ZeniMax Online Studios can think on its feet, the team pivoted their direction and built new experiences for a range of players. That changed the game and put it on the trajectory we’re on today.” From L-R: Brian Wheeler, Matt Firor, Rich Lambert “We thought about the game and the types of features we wanted – remove the arbitrary level gates, remove all the barriers to playing with your friends, and really turn it into this I can go anywhere, I can do anything, I can explore at my own pace. ![]() In response, the developers asked themselves critical questions: “What is this game going to be? What is the core of this game? Who do we want to appeal to?” After only a year of struggle, Elder Scrolls Online was retitled and rebranded as Tamriel Unlimited with a free-to-play model. It’s an online RPG, because that helps kind of evoke the thought process we went through, which is its true core – it is an Elder Scrolls game.” That’s why Matt Firor doesn’t refer to ESO as an MMO. “It needed to be an Elder Scrolls game first and foremost. ZeniMax was “walking this line – trying to appeal to both sets, the MMO crowd and the Elder Scrolls crowd, and it didn’t please either side.” Combat was more action oriented in comparison to other MMOs at the time, but it still didn’t feel like Elder Scrolls. Rich explains, “players were very vocal about the game and what it was and what it wasn’t.” As Tamriel’s first multiplayer online game, it had a good backbone. Reeling it back to the beginning, The Elder Scrolls Online had a rocky start. While its Deadlands DLC may be the end for this year’s content, there’s always more just over the horizon. To celebrate the cataclysmic conclusion to the Blackwoodand Gates of Oblivion adventure, we had the chance to chat with Creative Director Rich Lambert about the legacy and evolution of ESO. The team at ZeniMax Online Studios is persistent with pumping out quality and quantity when it comes to updates for its now seven-year-old game. In fact, this past year has been its strongest year since launch, reaching 19 million players across the board. The Elder Scrolls Online continues to be one of the most popular MMOs out there. ![]() Creative Director Rich Lambert on the legacy and evolution at the end of the Gates of Oblivion.
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