The Elder Scrolls Online | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | ZeniMax Online Studios |
Publisher(s) | Bethesda Softworks |
Director(s) | Matt Firor |
Producer(s) | Ala Diaz |
Designer(s) | Nick Konkle Richard Lambert |
Programmer(s) | Daniel Dunham |
Artist(s) | Jared Carr Mathew Weathers |
Writer(s) | Wynne McLaughlin Lawrence Schick |
Composer(s) | Brad Derrick Rik Schaffer |
Series | The Elder Scrolls |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
Release date(s) |
Microsoft Windows, OS X April 4, 2014 PlayStation 4, Xbox One June 9, 2015 |
Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Aggregate score | |
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Aggregator | Score |
Metacritic | (PC) 71/100 (XONE) 78/100 (PS4) 74/100 |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
Game Revolution | 4/5 |
GameSpot | 6/10 |
IGN | 8.0/10 |
PC Gamer (US) | 68/100 |
Polygon | 6.0/10 |
The Elder Scrolls Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was originally released for Microsoft Windows and OS X on April 4, 2014. It is a part of The Elder Scrolls series, of which it is the first open-ended multiplayer installment.
As with other games in The Elder Scrolls franchise, the game is set in the continent of Tamriel and features a storyline indirectly connected with the other games. The Elder Scrolls Online had been in development for seven years before its release in 2014. It initially received mixed reviews, but these improved significantly with the re-release and rebranding as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, with the majority of reviews praising the changes.
Similar to other MMORPGs, The Elder Scrolls Online originally used a per-month subscription model, but abolished that beginning in March 2015. The game was then renamed as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. Console versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in June 2015.
As in previous The Elder Scrolls titles, gameplay is mostly nonlinear, with a mixture of quests, random events, and free-roaming exploration of the world. The game does not provide a mode for single-player offline play, although the developers stated that there would be "plenty of content" designed to accommodate players who prefer to play solo.
The player is able to play as ten different races; four different varieties of humans: Nords, Redguards, Bretons, and Imperials; Elvish varieties: Dunmer (Dark Elves), Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves) and Orsimer (Orcs); and more bestial races: the Khajiiti and Argonians. Players must choose one of four classes when creating their character. Each class gives the player various different attacks, spells, and passive effects. The game has other character choices beyond those of race and class, such as the player character also being able to become either a vampire or a werewolf, each of which grants its own skill tree.