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We've worked closely with BGS since the
beginning of ESO's development. For
ESO:
Morrowind
, it was a lot easier. There was so
much known about the area and its history
thanks to the fact that it shares the same part
of the world as
Elder Scrolls III
. We did have to
carefully make sure that we don't spoil much of
the
Elder Scrolls III
story and, of course, most
of the characters in that game are not yet alive
in ours. But, there is a lot of continuity, and we
worked with BGS to provide easter eggs and
call-outs so that players who are familiar with
the older title will recognise key characters and
situations.
What was the most fun about bringing back
such a beloved game?
A lot of us played
Elder Scrolls III
when it
came out and, for the team, it was a great
walk down memory lane.
Elder Scrolls III
was a landmark event in gaming: the first
real 3D open world RPG, the first major RPG
on console and, of course, the first really big
Elder Scrolls game. It's also one of the most
well known settings in Elder Scrolls, so we had
a wealth of characters, culture, geography, and
the awesomely weird plants and animals that
make up Vvardenfell to play with.
What kind of PvP additions can we expect?
ESO: Morrowind
introduces our first new
major PvP system since we launched the
original game: 4v4v4 Battlegrounds. This gives
players a very fast, intensive PvP session that is
player-balanced to four players per side. Cyrodiil,
our open-world PvP system, is awesome, but
it is open world and more strategic in nature.
Our Battlegrounds are a great complement to
Cyrodiil – just jump in for a very
fast and focused PvP match,
featuring three different maps
and three different game
types.
Having a permanent pet ally like the bear is
awesome, and will appeal to players who
want to play as a druid/ranger archetype.
What were some of the biggest challenges
in returning toVvardenfell?
This is a great question. Our biggest
challenge was to give Morrowind a sense
of nostalgia for those players who enjoyed
Elder Scrolls III,
but to make it fun and a
great experience for all ESO players, even
those who didn't play the original
Morrowind
game. I think we've done a great job of this
– you don't need to know anything about
the original game to have fun in the often
crazy, weird, and almost alien landscape that
comprises the island of Vvardenfell.
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FEATURE
GAMES
What can fans of the original
Morrowind look forward to in this
instalment?
Because we're set about 700 years
before
Elder Scrolls III
, we scattered many
references to what is going to happen in the
future. You'll find NPCs that are the ancestors of
characters in
Elder Scrolls III
, for example. Plus,
you'll find that wherever there is a major town
in
Elder Scrolls III
, you'll find that town or village
in
ESO: Morrowind,
too.
What kind of involvement did you have with
Bethesda Game Studios to retain the feel
and look of the original?
Elder Scrolls III
was a
landmark event in gaming
•
Elder Scrolls
Online:
Morrowind
is out June 6