At Gamescom 2017, we had the opportunity to speak with Matt Firor, the head of Zenimax, the developer of The Elder Scrolls Online. In the interview, Matt revealed that ESO has been more successful since Morrowind and that they already have content in the pipeline until 2019.
Matt Firor is the head of Zenimax and thus the main responsible person for the online role-playing game The Elder Scrolls Online. At Gamescom 2017, we met Matt for an interview and talked to him about the state of The Elder Scrolls Online and the future of the MMO.
Morrowind was a huge success for The Elder Scrolls Online
The first major new chapter for The Elder Scrolls Online was Morrowind, and for Zenimax, the massive DLC was a complete success. Since the release of Morrowind, more players are on the servers than ever before. Overall, the player base of ESO has grown to over 10 million players.
However, this does not necessarily mean active players; the number also includes inactive users, but not beta players and test accounts. Curiously, these players are still split equally among PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4. According to Firor, Skyrim remains the archetype of an Elder Scrolls game for console players.
Matt Firor wouldn’t change much about ESO
When asked if Matt Firor would change anything about the foundations of ESO if he had a magic wand, he replied: “Our major change was One Tamriel, otherwise everything is fine as it is.” He did admit later, however, that he would like to have slightly better performance in the game.
Of course, there are always bugs that could be fixed. However, Firor would not change the combat system, which is considered a bit clunky by many players, even if he could with a wave of a magic wand.
Work on the second ESO chapter has already begun
Furthermore, Matt Firor revealed that work on the next chapter of The Elder Scrolls Online has already begun. However, Matt remained tight-lipped and did not reveal any details about the content. However, it is unlikely that new classes will be introduced.
The developers at Zenimax still intend to bring more classes, skills, and game modes in the future. Especially the popular new battlegrounds are to be expanded further. This will include fun game modes like the recently released Chaos Ball from the DLC Horns of the Reach, a PvP mode reminiscent of the legendary Huttball from SWTOR. So, more game modes in this vein could come in the future.
Content plans for at least 4 years
Overall, Zenimax is well-positioned. The specific content plans are already secure until 2019. They even have ideas for the next 4 years. So ESO should not run out of steam anytime soon.
Next up is the DLC Clockwork City. In it, you will explore the namesake Clockwork City. There will be plenty of quests, story, items, and again new emotes.
Also interesting: The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind in Test – A Big Buffet of Content!
