STACK #152 Jun 2017

FEATURE GAMES

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. 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 What was the most fun about bringing back such a beloved game?

Elder Scrolls III was a landmark event in gaming

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?

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.

fast and focused PvP match, featuring three different maps and three different game types.

• Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind is out June 6

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