At Zenimax Online, they are proud of what they do. The Narrative Director of Elder Scrolls Online says that for ten years, they have essentially released a high-quality AAA single-player RPG in the Elder Scrolls universe almost annually. They take pride in that.
This is how ESO justifies the statement: In a conversation with GamesRadar , Bill Slaviscek talks about how Zenimax Online is “the most prolific AAA studio probably of all time.” He enjoys saying that repeatedly.
Because in the ten years that Elder Scrolls Online has been running, there has been a “constant stream of good releases.”
These ten years are like having released more than ten single-player games in succession – and all have a certain level that you can’t find anywhere else. They take pride in that.
Chapters have been expanding the world of The Elder Scrolls annually since 2017
What does he mean by that? ESO was released in 2014 and has received several expansions each year, big and small. In 2015 and 2016, it was still somewhat chaotic. The expansions mainly focused on new systems and steering the struggling online RPG back on course. But even then, large expansions were added with DLC Orsinium or the Thieves Guild.
Since 2017, a new “chapter” is released every summer with its own story line, corresponding to about 30 hours of gameplay:
- Morrowind – 2017
- Summerset – 2018
- Elsweyr – 2019
- Greymoor – 2020
- Blackwood – 2021
- High Isle – 2022
- Necrom – 2023
- Gold Road – 2024
This is how it continues in 2024: In 2024, Gold Road will continue the story of Elder Scrolls, says the Narrative Director. They will tell the story of a new Daedra princess, Ithelia, – for the first time in the history of The Elder Scrolls Online.
The Narrative Director states that he had to get the approval from Bethesda to not alter the story of the Elder Scrolls. That all went well, but they also don’t want to reveal too much. Just enough: They are very proud of the new character and the story.
Could one say the same about other MMORPGs? Most MMORPGs have a biennial rhythm in which they bring out expansions. The development of Final Fantasy XIV is also considered exemplary and the MMORPG has already been described as the Final Fantasy with the best story.
But Zenimax Online does have a point: a release every year is quite something.
However, one could critically note that sometimes the expansions lack new features, and fans would like a new class or relevant new features every year, rather than “just” 30 hours of story.
Gold Road will be released on June 3, 2024, for PC – on June 18, it will arrive for PlayStation 4, PS5, and Xbox. You can read everything about the expansion here: ESO: Everything about the Gold Road expansion and the new content that the MMORPG will receive in 2024
