MeinMMO had the opportunity to speak with the two lead developers Rich Lambert and Nick Giacomini at gamescom 2025 about The Elder Scrolls Online and the challenges of the MMORPG genre.
New leadership at Zenimax: Following the layoffs in July 2025 and the departure of longtime studio head Matt Firor, Zenimax must reorganize. While Jo Burba takes over the leadership of Zenimax, the former Game Director of Elder Scrolls Online, Rich Lambert, moves to the position of Studio Game Director. Nick Giacomini is taking over his position.
MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski had the chance to speak with Rich and Nick at gamescom 2025 about the current situation at Zenimax, The Elder Scrolls Online, and the current and upcoming challenges of the genre.
A complete summary of the interview will soon be available on MeinMMO. However, we want to highlight some responses from the two lead developers regarding the future success formula for MMORPGs.
Limitless into the Future
What is this success formula? In the interview with MeinMMO, Rich explains that the ESO team has been able to observe changes in community behavior and gameplay patterns over the years.
Things like playtime – you can see from our numbers when a new game comes out because they [the player numbers] dip briefly. And then they rise again. And also how players access the game. There are so many different ways today, and there is a strong demand for things like crossplay or cross-save.
Rich Lambert in an interview with MeinMMO
According to Rich, access and availability on as many platforms as possible will be a decisive factor for current and future MMORPGs. But also whether a game can successfully engage the community.
Everyone has a mobile phone, a tablet today. That’s a big factor. People are always online. How do you deal with that? And the community is key. That’s why ESO, Guild Wars 2, and WoW are where they are today. They thrive because of the community. Players don’t just play the game; they immerse themselves in the world, live it, and play there with their friends. How can you support these things? Things like cross-save and cross-progression are big topics in the community today, which didn’t exist before. Today the platform boundaries blur. […] Give players access and they will play.
Rich Lambert in an interview with MeinMMO
Nick emphasizes how rapidly the changes have taken place since the launch of Elder Scrolls Online, and how important it is for developers to continuously adapt. He also mentions another essential factor for the success of MMORPGs.
The development has been rapid, especially in recent years. For an 11-year-old game like ESO, it’s both frightening and exciting. We want to stay true to our roots and continue to deliver what players love about Elder Scrolls Online. Technologies and expectations are constantly changing. Therefore, we are continually dealing with the question of how we can meet this while honoring this legacy […].
This applies to all MMORPGs today: The competition is becoming increasingly difficult, and the expectations are getting higher. Why should players gift you their most valuable resource? Their time. You have to earn that through trust, engagement, and a strong community focus. […] In my opinion, MMORPGs should generally listen more to players to find out what they want or need.
Nick Giacomini in an interview with MeinMMO
To summarize: MMORPGs that want to be successful in the future must, according to Rich and Nick, value players’ time, seek interaction with the community, allow for as limitless access as possible across various platforms, and build a community that is passionate about the game. Would you agree or do you see other or additional factors?
The trailer for the current running season of Elder Scrolls Online:
What is happening right now in Elder Scrolls Online? This week, the dungeon pack “Feast of Shadows” and the free update 47 for PC and Mac were released. Those who want to play the two dungeons need the Content Pass for 2025, the Premium Edition or an ESO Plus subscription. Alternatively, you can purchase it in the Crown Store. The free additions of Update 47 include:
- Your mounts can now swim.
- There is a new option to replay quest dialogues.
- Introduction of stackable loot reports, allowing you to have more space in your inventory.
- The ability to re-roll visions in the Endless Archive.
You can find the complete patch notes on elderscrollsonline.com. The content is expected to be released on consoles on September 3rd. Elder Scrolls Online has been one of the most successful genre representatives for years, with more than 26 million players and revenues of at least 2 billion dollars to date.
As part of our large Grindfest theme week, our editor-in-chief spoke with the CipSoft managing directors Benjamin Zuckerer and Stephan Vogler about Tibia and the beginnings of the German studio. They also discussed some of the challenges that the team had to overcome over the years: Not WoW was the problem, but something completely different – German developers explain the end of the MMORPG hype
