In update 44, the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online received a non-binary companion: Tanlorin. This leads to a discussion in the community, which is now being addressed.
What kind of character is this? Tanlorin is a new companion in The Elder Scrolls Online who is non-binary. Zenimax uses the neutral pronoun “They” for him in English. In German, Zenimax uses male pronouns.
Tanlorin came with update 44 on October 28, 2024, to the PC version. The update will appear on PlayStation and Xbox on November 13, 2024.
Already 2 months ago, when Tanlorin was introduced, the presentation sparked a discussion – and the character is still being discussed now.
Criticism of 28lazy design3 began 2 months ago
This was the criticism during the presentation: During the presentation 2 months ago, Tanlorin’s design was criticized on Reddit for adhering too closely to many clichés that exist about non-binary characters. This is considered lazy design. The character has short colored hair and a physical appearance that is right in the middle. According to the cliché, a non-binary character should not look male or female. Tanlorin corresponds exactly to these ideas.
Others say: If you introduce such a character, you should put in some effort. It looks like you are just pandering to one part of the community.
Criticism: The character is discriminated against, but for a different reason
What is the criticism of how the character appears in the game? In the ESO forum, a thread was created on November 3, 2024, criticizing the quest for Tanlorin. The “Summer Isles” were portrayed as very progressive, with many LGBTQ+ characters. Therefore, there should be no reason for Tanlorin to be treated so harshly.
In the quest for Tanlorin, an artificial conflict is created where Tanlorin is discriminated against, but not really for being non-binary, rather for being “different”.
The thread creator criticizes: ESO wants to address a “hot” topic from the real world, but would cheat in the storytelling. The Elder Scrolls Online explains Tanlorin as a member of an undesirable caste of “broken children” rejected by society for being different:
It took a long time, but I finally understood it. Actually, the text is bad. Very, very bad. It uses language that evokes the feeling of “society excluded me for being LGBTQIA+”, but actually… Tanlorin is a Hulkynd. The author made no effort to use this term anywhere, as it might dilute the intentional mixing of fantasy and modern politics, but yes… nothing in this whole quest line has ANYTHING to do with Gender Studies or identities or any of the hot topics of our time, except that Tanlorin is made into a They.
Criticism: The character feels like a modern college student in a fantasy world
As others add, the conflict feels foreign and as if it doesn’t belong to the world of Tamriel. Instead, it would depict a real-world issue in Tamriel, but in fantasy form. There has been a desperate attempt to cram gender oppression into the game and it has completely destroyed the character.
Another says: He really wanted to like Tanlorin, but the character feels like a college student from the real world planted into a fantasy world. All other LGBTQ+ representations in ESO are much better executed. This one is not.
What is a Hulkynd? The High Elves in the world of Tamriel strive for perfection. A “Hulkynd” is a child who does not meet these standards and is therefore cast out.
Zenimax emphasizes that they worked closely with non-binary people
What do the developers say? In a statement to The Gamer, narrative director Bill Slavicsek addresses the criticism that Tanlorin doesn’t fit into the world:
We have mixed marriages and gay and lesbian characters in abundance in the game. It just makes sense to us that all possibilities exist in Tamriel. We treat it as a real and living world. You might just not notice it because we don’t shout it from the rooftops or put up signs everywhere proclaiming it. And do you know why? Because the world in Tamriel simply is the way it is.
No character in the world bats an eye or finds it unusual to encounter the baker and his husband, the maid and her wife, or to let Naryu and Jakarn flirt with you, regardless of your character’s gender. Not to mention the alchemy, the three living gods of the Tribunal, or the Daedric princes that can appear as any gender! That is part of the world and therefore not a big deal.
They made sure to hire a non-binary actor to voice the role in order to create the character with great care. They have a group of queer community voices working with the team, and the content’s author identifies as non-binary as well.
The Elder Scrolls Online has been praised in the past for its successful handling of LGBTQ+ characters, but with the new character, it seems that, despite collaboration with members of the queer community, it hasn’t been fully successful: ESO handles LGBTQ+ like the real world should
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