At the launch of the Summerset add-on for The Elder Scrolls Online, we were visited by Rich Lambert, the Creative Director at Zenimax. We talked to him about the future of ESO and the planned new story.
Summerset, the second expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online is here. But ESO is not standing still, and the developers at Zenimax already have plans for new content until 2020 and beyond. Especially the new story is going to be something very special.
The Interview with Creative Director Rich Lambert
We asked Creative Director Rich Lambert all these questions in the interview and received some interesting answers.
Will new classes and weapons come to The Elder Scrolls Online?
Mein-MMO: Summerset played it safe and did not take any major risks. For example, there was no new class, but there were new skills. Will this now be the norm for future updates and add-ons?
Rich: The new skill line was an experiment. With a new class, players would have to start over again. With the new skill line, you can continue playing and expanding with your old character. We are excited to see how it resonates with the players. However, we are not saying that we will never bring a new class again.
Mein-MMO: Are there plans for new weapons, like spears or crossbows?
Rich: New weapons are difficult, especially due to animations and balancing. But the longer the game exists, the more likely it is that something like this will come.
Is ESO hindering The Elder Scrolls VI?
Mein-MMO: Is there collaboration with the team making The Elder Scrolls 6? What happens if you plan something else? Are there any conflicts?
Rich: We talk to Bethesda when we plan something new. They are the owners of the series and have the final say. We cannot do anything without their approval. Therefore, we talked to them to see if the Psijic Order would create problems or break lore. If they say ‘No’, we do not do it. We could not bring the Psijic Order back to Tamriel as originally planned because Bethesda was against it. Therefore, you as players travel to the Order in Artaeum. That worked.
Mein-MMO: What if Bethesda wants to do something in an upcoming Elder Scrolls game that has until now only been in ESO, like Orsinium?
Rich: Then they will approach us and inquire about what we have done and will take that into account. What we do is also canon.
Mein-MMO: Will ESO hinder or delay the development of The Elder Scrolls 6?
Rich: No, those are two completely different teams.
How is ESO evolving?
Mein-MMO: Are there plans for an engine upgrade? How do you want to ensure that ESO remains fresh and appealing in the coming years?
Rich: Currently, nothing like that is planned. However, there have already been performance upgrades for the new consoles, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. In Summerset, many things already look better. For example, when comparing Summerset to the equally lavish region of Rivenspire from the base game, Summerset already looks much better.
Mein-MMO: How long will ESO continue?
Rich: There are plans until 2020 and beyond. We will continue until no one wants to play ESO anymore. And we also change our plans if something does not work out. Just like we did after the PC launch. We turned the game around 180 degrees because players wanted something different. We would do that again if necessary.
Mein-MMO: If you could change something in the game immediately and without effort, what would it be?
Rich: I would improve the overall performance, framerates, and such. But we have already done a lot in that respect, and in Summerset, multicore support has been improved, among other things. I would like to improve that even more.
What’s next for The Elder Scrolls Online?
Mein-MMO: Morrowind was a region of the Ebonheart Pact, Summerset is in the Dominion territory. If we follow this logic, the next add-on in 2019 should actually be in the Daggerfall Covenant. Probably among the Bretons, since there has already been additional content for Orcs and Redguards.
Rich: I don’t want to comment on that. You will find out next year.
Mein-MMO: Can you at least give us a little hint about where the story is headed? Now that the Daedra triad story ends in Summerset?
Rich: Players will totally flip out [in the new story]! It will be something completely new!
Mein-MMO: So it won’t be – like in WOW – a return to the war of factions?
Rich: No, as mentioned, there will be something completely new that has never been in ESO before.
Mein-MMO: Will the new story come in the next adventure zone or only in the new add-on in 2019?
Rich: I don’t want to spoil that yet.
Mein-MMO: The new adventure zone will probably not be Mephala’s realm, since the Daedra story ends in Summerset. Can you give us a hint about where it goes?
Rich: No, but who knows, you might hear something at E3. Or in the game if you pay attention…
Mein-MMO: Can we expect Khajiit content?
Rich: Maybe.
