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''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of
action role-playing An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat wh ...
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
primarily developed by
Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Game Studios is an American video game developer and a studio of ZeniMax Media based in Rockville, Maryland. It is best known for its action role-playing franchises, including ''The Elder Scrolls'', '' Fallout'', and '' Starfield''. B ...
and published by
Bethesda Softworks Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a Division (business), division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of Z ...
. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an
open world In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...
. Most games in the series have been critically and commercially successful, with '' The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'' (2002), '' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' (2006) and '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' (2011) all winning
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
awards from multiple outlets. The series has sold more than 59 million copies worldwide. Within the series'
fictional universe A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly associated with works of fantasy and scie ...
, each game takes place on the continent of Tamriel. The setting combines pre-medieval real-world elements, such as a powerful
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
-like Empire, with
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Pres ...
medieval themes, including limited technology, widespread magic use, and the existence of many mythological creatures. The continent is split into a number of provinces inhabited by humans and humanoid fantasy races such as
elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...
,
orc An orc (sometimes spelt ork; ), in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy fiction, is a race of humanoid monsters, which he also calls "goblin". In Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', orcs appear as a brutish, aggressive, ugly, and malevol ...
s and
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
animals. A common theme in the lore is that a chosen hero (represented by the player's character) rises to defeat an impending threat, typically a malevolent being or an antagonistic army. Since debuting with '' The Elder Scrolls: Arena'' in 1994, the series has produced a total of five main games (of which the last three have each featured two or three expansions) as well as several
spin-offs Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
.The evolution of The Elder Scrolls
. ''PC Gamer''.
In 2014, a
massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
, ''
The Elder Scrolls Online ''The Elder Scrolls Online'', abbreviated ''ESO'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is a part of the '' Elder Scrolls'' series. It was ...
'', was released by Bethesda's affiliated ZeniMax subsidiary
ZeniMax Online Studios ZeniMax Online Studios LLC is an American video game developer and a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, specializing in massively multiplayer online games. The company developed ''The Elder Scrolls Online'' and its downloadable content. In 2012, it h ...
.


Development history


Before ''The Elder Scrolls''

Prior to working on ''The Elder Scrolls'' series, Bethesda had worked predominantly with sports and action games. In the six years from its founding to ''Arena'' 1994 release, Bethesda had released ten games, six of them sports games, with titles such as '' Hockey League Simulator'', '' NCAA Basketball: Road to the Final Four ('91/'92 Edition)'', and ''
Wayne Gretzky Hockey ''Wayne Gretzky Hockey'' is an ice hockey-themed sports game developed by Bethesda Softworks, and first published in 1988. Gameplay The game features the name and likeness of Canadian professional ice hockey centre Wayne Gretzky. ''Wayne Gretzky ...
'', and the remaining four adaptations from other media, primarily the '' Terminator'' series. Bethesda's course changed abruptly when it began working on its first action role-playing game. Designer Ted Peterson recalls: "I remember talking to the guys at
Sir-Tech Sir-Tech Software, Inc. was a video game developer and video game publisher, publisher based in the United States and Canada. History In fall 1979, Sirotech Software was founded by Norman Sirotek, Robert Sirotek and Robert Woodhead. Sirotech Soft ...
who were doing '' Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant'' at the time, and them literally laughing at us for thinking we could do it." Ted Peterson worked alongside Vijay Lakshman as one of the initial designers of what became known as ''Arena'', a "medieval-style gladiator game".


''Arena''

Peterson and Lakshman were joined by
Julian Lefay Julian Lefay is a programmer, video game designer, and musician, best known for his work on ''The Elder Scrolls: Arena'', ''The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall'', and ''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire''. Lefay was in an electropop band named R ...
who, according to Peterson, "really spear-headed the initial development of the series". Peterson, Lakshman, and LeFay were longtime aficionados of pen-and-paper role-playing games, which greatly influenced the creation of the world of
Tamriel ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing games, action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on Nonlinear gameplay, free-form gameplay in an ...
. They were also fans of
Looking Glass Studios Looking Glass Studios, Inc. (formerly Blue Sky Productions and LookingGlass Technologies, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company was founded by Paul Neurath with Ned Lerner as Blue Sky Produ ...
' ''
Ultima Underworld ''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' is a 1992 action role-playing game developed by Blue Sky Productions (later Looking Glass Studios) and published by Origin Systems. Set in the fantasy world of the ''Ultima'' series the story takes pla ...
'' series, their main inspiration for ''Arena''. Initially, ''Arena'' was not to be a role-playing game at all. The player, and a team of their fighters, would travel the world, fighting other teams in their arenas until the player became "grand champion" in the world's capital, the Imperial City. Along the way, side quests of a more role-playing nature could be completed. As the process of development progressed, however, the tournaments became less important and the side quests more. Role-playing game elements were added, as it expanded to include cities outside the arenas, and dungeons beyond the cities. Eventually it was decided to drop the idea of tournaments altogether, and focus on quests and dungeons, making the game a "full-blown ole-playing game. Although the team had dropped all arena combat from the game, all the material had already been printed up with the title, so the game went to market as ''The Elder Scrolls: Arena''. Lakshman, who then worked at Christopher Weaver's Bethesda Softworks, came up with the name of ''The Elder Scrolls'' and the words eventually came to mean "Tamriel's mystical tomes of knowledge that told of its past, present, and future". The game's initial
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...
was changed in response, beginning: "It has been foretold in the Elder Scrolls ..." Bethesda missed their Christmas 1993 deadline for releasing ''Arena'', and the game was released in the first quarter of 1994 instead, a "really serious istakefor a small developer/publisher like Bethesda Softworks". The packaging included a scantily clad female warrior, which further contributed to distributor concern, leading to an initial distribution of only 20,000 units. Having missed the Christmas sales season, the development team was concerned that they "had screwed the company". Nevertheless, sales continued to grow, month after month, as news of the game was passed by word-of-mouth. Despite some initial
software bug A software bug is a design defect ( bug) in computer software. A computer program with many or serious bugs may be described as ''buggy''. The effects of a software bug range from minor (such as a misspelled word in the user interface) to sev ...
s, and the formidable demands the game made on players' machines, it became a cult hit. Evaluations of the game's success varied from "modest" to "wild". Still, the game maintained traction with its audience. Game historian Matt Barton concluded that "the game set a new standard for this type of
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
, and demonstrated just how much room was left for innovation".


''Daggerfall''

Work on ''The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall'' began after ''Arena'' release in March 1994. Ted Peterson was assigned the role of lead game designer. He endeavoured to make ''Daggerfall'' plot less "clichéd" than ''Arena'' and involve a "complex series of adventures leading to multiple resolutions". With ''Daggerfall'', ''Arena'' experience-point-based system was replaced with one rewarding the player for conducting role-playing activities with their character. ''Daggerfall'' came equipped with an improved character generation engine, one that included a
GURPS The ''Generic Universal Role Playing System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system published by Steve Jackson Games. The system is designed to run any genre using the same core mechanics. The core rules were first written by St ...
-influenced
class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
creation system, offering players the chance to create their own classes, and assign their own skills. ''Daggerfall'' was developed with an
XnGine Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a Division (business), division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of Z ...
engine, one of the first truly 3D engines. ''Daggerfall'' realized a game world the size of Great Britain, filled with 15,000 towns and a population of 750,000. It was influenced by analog games and literature that Julian LeFay or Ted Peterson happened to be playing or reading at the time, such as Dumas's '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' and '' Vampire: The Masquerade''. It was released in September 1996. Like ''Arena'', ''Daggerfall'' initial release suffered from some bugs, leaving consumers disgruntled. These early anomalies were fixed in later versions. This experience led to a more prudent release schedule for future games.


''Battlespire'' and ''Redguard''

Following the release of ''Daggerfall'', work began on three separate projects at once: '' An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire'', '' The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'', and '' The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind''. ''Battlespire'', originally titled ''Dungeon of Daggerfall: Battlespire'', was the first of the three to be released, on November 30, 1997. Originally designed as an
expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion, is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game, collectible card game or Miniature wargaming, miniature wargame. An expansion may introduce new rules ...
for ''Daggerfall'', it was eventually rebranded as a standalone game. ''Battlespire'' focused on dungeon romping and offered multiplayer gaming in the form of a
player versus player Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents and is usually of ...
deathmatch Deathmatch commonly refers to: * A particularly brutal type of hardcore wrestling * Deathmatch (video games), a free-for-all video game mode Death Match may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *'' Tom Clancy's Net Force Explorers: D ...
mode, the only series title to do so prior to the release of ''The Elder Scrolls Online'' in 2014. ''Redguard'' was the second of the three titles to be released, on October 31, 1998. It was an
action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...
inspired by ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...
'', ''
Prince of Persia ''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is centered around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two ga ...
'', and the ''
Ultima Ultima may refer to: Places * Ultima, Victoria, a town in Australia * Pangaea Ultima, a supercontinent to occur in the future * ''Ultima'', the larger lobe of the trans-Neptunian object 486958 Arrokoth, nicknamed ''Ultima Thule'' Companies and ...
'' series. ''Redguard'' did not offer the player the chance to create their own character. Instead, players would play the prefabricated "Cyrus the Redguard". Both games did poorly with Bethesda's target audience. Players used to the vast open spaces of ''Daggerfall'' did not take well to the reduced worlds of ''Redguard'' and ''Battlespire''. Based upon its customers' clear desire for massive role-playing game worlds, Bethesda redoubled its efforts to build the next major chapter.


''Morrowind''

The third title in ''The Elder Scrolls'' series was conceived during the development of ''
Daggerfall ''The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall'' is a 1996 action role-playing game published by Bethesda Softworks. The second installment in the ''Elder Scrolls'' series, it was released on September 20, 1996 for MS-DOS, following the success of 1994's ' ...
''. Initially designed to encompass the whole province of Morrowind and allow the player to join all five Dunmer Great Houses, it was decided that the scope of the game was too much for the technology available at the time. At publication, it covered the province's central isle of Vvardenfell and allowed the player to join three of the Great Houses. The XnGine was scrapped and replaced with Numerical Design Limited's
Gamebryo Gamebryo (; ; formerly NetImmerse until 2003) is a game engine developed by Gamebase Co., Ltd. and Gamebase USA, that incorporates a set of tools and plugins including run-time libraries, supporting video game developers for numerous cross-pl ...
, a
Direct3D Direct3D is a graphics application programming interface (API) for Microsoft Windows. Part of DirectX, Direct3D is used to render three-dimensional graphics in applications where performance is important, such as games. Direct3D uses hardware ...
-powered engine with
transform, clipping, and lighting Transform, clipping, and lighting (T&L or TCL) is a term used in computer graphics. Overview Transformation is the task of producing a two-dimensional view of a three-dimensional scene. Clipping means only drawing the parts of the scene that ...
capacity, 32-bit textures and skeletal animation. It was decided that the game world would be populated using the methods the team had developed in ''Redguard''; with the game objects crafted by hand, rather than generated using random algorithmic methods. The project took "close to 100-man-years to create". Bethesda tripled their staff and spent the first year developing ''
The Elder Scrolls Construction Set ''The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'' is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the third installment in ''The Elder Scrolls'' series, following 1996's ''The Elder Scrolls I ...
''. This allowed the game staff to easily balance the game and to modify it in small increments rather than large. Ted Peterson, who had left following the release of ''Daggerfall'', returned to work as an author of in-game material, and as a general consultant on the lore-based aspects of the work. The PC version of ''Morrowind'' had gone gold by April 23, 2002, and was released on May 1 in North America, with the Xbox release set at June 7. On January 3, Bethesda announced that game publisher
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...
would take control of ''Morrowind'' European distribution, in addition to those of eight other Bethesda games. The
expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion, is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game, collectible card game or Miniature wargaming, miniature wargame. An expansion may introduce new rules ...
''The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal'' went gold on November 1 and was released, with little fanfare, on November 6. ''Tribunal'' puts the player in the self-contained, walled city of Mournhold, which can be teleported to from Morrowind's land mass. Development on the
expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansi ...
began after ''Morrowind'' shipped, giving the developers a mere five-month development cycle to release the game. The prior existence of the ''Construction Set'', however, meant that the team "already had the tools in place to add content and features very quickly". Interface improvements, and specifically an overhaul of ''Morrowind'' journal system, were among the key goals. ''Morrowind'' second expansion, ''The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon'', went gold by May 23, and was released on June 6. It had been worked on since the release of ''Tribunal''. In the expansion, the player travels to the frozen island of Solstheim and is asked to investigate the uneasiness of the soldiers stationed there.


''Oblivion''

Work on ''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' began in 2002, after ''Morrowind'' publication. ''Oblivion'' was developed by
Bethesda Softworks Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a Division (business), division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of Z ...
, and the initial
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
and PC releases were co-published by Bethesda and
Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns three major Imprint (trade name), publishing labels, Rockstar Games, Zynga and 2K ...
subsidiary
2K Games 2K is an American video game publisher based in Novato, California. The company was founded as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive in January 2005 through the 2K Games and 2K Sports sub-labels. The nascent label incorporated several developme ...
. ''Oblivion'' was released on March 21, 2006.
The game centers around an event referred to as "The Oblivion Crisis", where portals to the planes of Oblivion open and release hordes of Daedra upon Tamriel. Developers working on ''Oblivion'' focused on providing a tighter storyline, more developed characters, and to make information in the game world more accessible to players. ''Oblivion'' features improved AI, improved physics, and improved
graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of the data, as in design and manufa ...
. Bethesda developed and implemented procedural content creation tools in the creation of ''Oblivion'' terrain, leading to landscapes that are more complex and realistic than those of past titles, but had less of a drain on Bethesda's staff. Two downloadable expansion packs, '' Knights of the Nine'' and ''
Shivering Isles ''The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles'' is the second expansion pack for the role-playing video game '' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion''. Announced on January 18, 2007, the expansion was developed, published, and released over the Xbox Live Mar ...
'' were released in 2006 and 2007, respectively. ''Knights of the Nine'' added a questline surrounding the search for a set of Crusader relics, while ''Shivering Isles'' added the eponymous plane to the game. A
remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...
of ''Oblivion'' was revealed and subsequently released on April 22, 2025.


''Skyrim''

In August 2010,
Todd Howard Todd Andrew Howard (born 1970) is an American video game designer, Creative director, director, and Video game producer, producer. He serves as director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the development of the ...
revealed Bethesda was working on a game that had been in development since the release of ''Oblivion'', and that progress was very far along. While the game was conceptualized after ''Oblivion''s release, main development was restricted until after ''
Fallout 3 ''Fallout 3'' is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The third major installment in the ''Fallout'' series, it is the first game to be developed by Bethesda after acquiring ...
'' was released. In November, Kristian West, then the
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
's Danish outlet, reported overhearing a developer on a plane talking about the project; a new ''The Elder Scrolls'' game, although Bethesda did not comment on the report. At the
Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by '' GameT ...
in December, Howard appeared on stage to unveil a teaser trailer and announce the title of the game. ''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'' was released on November 11, 2011, to widespread critical acclaim. It was awarded 'Game of the Year' by IGN, Spike and others. The game is set after the events of ''Oblivion'', when the great
dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
Alduin the World Eater returns to Skyrim; a beast whose existence threatens all life in Tamriel. The setting is heavily based on Scandinavia, as seen in the climate and creatures the character encounters. Three pieces of add-ons were released on PC and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
in 2012 – '' Dawnguard'', '' Hearthfire'' and '' Dragonborn'', with a
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
release in February 2013. ''Dawnguard'' added two joinable factions and an associated questline revolving around
Vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
and the Dawnguard, a group of vampire hunters, while ''Hearthfire'' added more home customization options including a house creation kit and the ability to adopt children. ''Dragonborn'' added the island of Solstheim to the northeast. On October 28, 2016, ''Skyrim – Special Edition'' was released. In 2016, on the fifth anniversary of ''Skyrim''s release,
Zen Studios Zen Studios is a Hungarian video game developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with headquarters in Budapest, Hungary and offices in the United States. It is known for its game franchises, ''Pinball FX'' and '' Zen Pinball'', ...
developed and released a virtual
pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
adaptation of the game as part of the ''Bethesda Pinball'' collection, which became available as part of ''
Zen Pinball 2 ''Zen Pinball 2'' is a pinball video game developed and published by Zen Studios for the Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Android, and PlayStation Vita. The game was announced on April 9, 2012. The first PlayStation versions were released on ...
'', ''
Pinball FX 2 ''Pinball FX 2'' (stylized as ''Pinball FX2'') is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows (Windows XP, XP and higher) and is the sequel to ''Pinball FX''. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Xbox Game Studi ...
'' and ''
Pinball FX 3 ''Pinball FX 3'' is a pinball simulator video game developed and published by Zen Studios and is the sequel to ''Pinball FX 2''. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 in September 2017 and then released for the Nintendo S ...
'', as well as a separate
free-to-play "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...
app for
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
and
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
mobile devices. On November 17, 2017, ''Skyrim VR'' was released for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
. On June 10, 2018, ''Skyrim: Very Special Edition'', a voice-activated text adventure game poking fun at the game's many releases, was released for
Amazon Alexa Amazon Alexa is a virtual assistant technology marketed by Amazon and implemented in software applications for smart phones, tablets, wireless smart speakers, and other electronic appliances. Alexa was largely developed from a Polish speech s ...
devices. The player character, Dragonborn, is a downloadable Mii fighter costume in the Nintendo crossover fighting game ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...
''.


''The Elder Scrolls Online'' and ''Legends''

On May 3, 2012, ''
The Elder Scrolls Online ''The Elder Scrolls Online'', abbreviated ''ESO'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is a part of the '' Elder Scrolls'' series. It was ...
'' was revealed. ''The Elder Scrolls Online'' was released for Windows and macOS on April 4, 2014, with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions initially slated to follow in June 2014 but later delayed until June 9, 2015. The game originally required a subscription to play, but this requirement was dropped on March 17, 2015. There is however a subscription service entitled "ESO Plus" which grants access to all current and future downloadable content (DLC). The DLC is otherwise available for individual purchase in the Crown Store. Additionally, the optional subscription grants various perks that allow players to progress slightly faster than a free player, and grants them a payment of 1650 crowns per month. On June 14, 2015, '' The Elder Scrolls: Legends'', a collectible card game, was announced by Bethesda during the
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 (E3 2015) was the 21st E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It took place from June 16 to June 18, 2015, with 52,200 total attendees. Major exhibit ...
. It was released on March 9, 2017, for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
and is in beta for
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
,
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
, and
macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
.


''Blades'' and ''Castles''

At Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference, Todd Howard announced ''The Elder Scrolls: Blades'', originally planned for release in Q3 2018, and it was originally expected to be released for Apple and Android phones first, followed by PC and console, including VR. The player is able to play as a member of the faction called the Blades, who has returned home to their town to find it destroyed. There are survival, arena, and town-building modes, with multiplayer support through its arena and town-building mode, as well as cross-platform. The game is also able to be played in portrait mode, unusual for a role-playing game. The early access of ''Blades'' began March 27, 2019 for those who pre-ordered the game. ''Blades'' was expected to be fully released some time in early 2019, before being released for
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
,
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
and
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
in May 2020. ', a mobile spin-off game similar to ''
Fallout Shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. Durin ...
'', was released for Android on September 28, 2023.


''The Elder Scrolls VI''

''Elder Scrolls VI'' was first announced as being in pre-production during
E3 2018 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 (E3 2018) was the 24th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
, along with ''Starfield''. Phil Spencer said that ''The'' ''Elder Scrolls VI'' would be coming out after Playground Games' ''
Fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...
'' title. The game is expected to be released exclusively on PC and Xbox, following Microsoft's 2021 acquisition of Bethesda.


Gameplay

''The Elder Scrolls'' games are
action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games empha ...
s and include elements taken from action and adventure games. In ''Arena'', players advance by killing monsters (and thereby gaining
experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
s) until a preset value is met, whereupon they level-up. However, in ''Daggerfall'', ''Morrowind'', and ''Oblivion'', the series took a skill-based approach to character advancement. Players develop their characters' skills by applying them and only level-up when a certain set of skills have been developed. ''Skyrim'' took a new approach, where the more a skill is leveled, the more it helps to level the character. This shifted the focus away from character creation and more onto character development. The flexibility of the games' engines has facilitated the release of game extensions (or mods) through ''
The Elder Scrolls Construction Set ''The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'' is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the third installment in ''The Elder Scrolls'' series, following 1996's ''The Elder Scrolls I ...
''. ''The Elder Scrolls'' main series of games emphasizes different aspects of the gaming experience than most role-playing games. A brief article by Joystiq in early November 2006 compared
BioWare BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American ...
's creations to Bethesda's by noting a difference in emphasis. Bethesda's creations focused on "aesthetic presentation and open-ended adventuring"; BioWare's on a combat system and modular architecture. This overarching aim has been noted by their designers as well. Bethesda has described their motivations in creating the first series game, ''Arena'', as those of any good pen-and-paper role-playing games: creating an environment in which the player could be what the player wants and do what the player wants. ''Daggerfall'' manual begins with a design manifesto, declaring the developers' intention to "create a book with blank pages" and "a game designed to encourage exploration and reward curiosity". Choices, in the form of paths taken by the player, to do good, to chase after evil, are left open to the player, "just like in real life". This design trend continued with ''Morrowind'', following the hiatus of similarly epic games in the interim, though Joystiq's previously noted insistence on graphics came again to the fore. During the development of ''Morrowind'', Bethesda tripled its staff, so as to perfectly color its newly hand-made world. In their own words, "We knew we had to exceed the visual polish of the other games on the market, and we made it our goal to put ''The Elder Scrolls'' back into the forefront of game innovation."


Series overview


Setting

''The Elder Scrolls'' takes place in a
high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Pres ...
world with influences from real world cultures. Like most works of high fantasy, ''The Elder Scrolls'' games are typically serious in tone and epic in scope, dealing with themes of a grand struggle against a supernatural or evil force. Many races exist in the world of ''The Elder Scrolls'', some typical of high fantasy works, such as humans,
orcs An orc (sometimes spelt ork; ), in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy fiction, is a race of humanoid monsters, which he also calls "goblin". In Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', orcs appear as a brutish, aggressive, ugly, and malevol ...
and
elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...
; some atypical, such as the lizard-like Argonians and cat-like Khajiit; and some subversions, such as the extinct Dwemer, known colloquially as "dwarves", who follow the high fantasy stereotype of being subterranean, skilled
metallurgists Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
and masons, but are actually classified as a variety of elf who are highly technologically advanced. As is also typical in high fantasy works, magic and sorcery, mythical creatures, factions with their own political agendas, walled medieval cities and strongholds, and plot elements driven by prophecies and legends are common. ''The Elder Scrolls'' is known for its attention to detail, including extensive lore, scenery and back story. There is no omniscient narrator. Instead, the lore is presented in-universe, as written by the fictional scholars who inhabit the world, and it is subject to their biases and speculation. Players are encouraged to form their own interpretations of the lore and have developed extensive fan works. The developers avoid invalidating or overruling fan theories through
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
. Internal inconsistencies are explained as errors in scholarship. Some inconsistencies, such as incorporating mutually exclusive endings to earlier games, are intentionally introduced and explained as magical paradoxes. Other elements of the lore are intentionally contradictory or made ambiguous to allow players to decide for themselves what is true. Players can, for example, deny being a prophesied hero or accept the role. The first game in the series, ''Arena'', featured little in the way of lore and lacked many elements that would come to define the series. An elaborate system of gods and myths were introduced in the second game, ''Daggerfall''. The lore's complexity came from a desire to improve on the writing in ''Arena'', which had been criticized as lackluster. After ''Daggerfall'', the designers focused on further expanding the lore once they realized they still did not know much about the world's fictional history or religions. The series' fictional cosmology is inspired by
Gnosticism Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: , Romanization of Ancient Greek, romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: Help:IPA/Greek, nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced ...
. There are contradictory
creation myth A creation myth or cosmogonic myth is a type of cosmogony, a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it., "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Cre ...
s, one of which claims that some of the gods were tricked into creating the mortal world, surrendering a portion of their power. These became the Nine Divines (also known as Aedra), who are worshipped as benevolent deities. A separate pantheon of more demonic deities known as the Daedra retain their full power and reside in Oblivion, a separate dimension. Individual Daedra are not necessarily evil, though they are often depicted as lacking empathy. ''The Elder Scrolls'' games primarily take place on the continent of Tamriel, located on the planet of Nirn. The exceptions are '' An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire'', which is set in a different dimension; portions of '' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' and the entirety of its expansion, ''Shivering Isles'', which take place in Oblivion; quests in Oblivion during the ''Dawnguard'' and ''Dragonborn'' add-ons of '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim''; and further quests in Oblivion from ''
The Elder Scrolls Online ''The Elder Scrolls Online'', abbreviated ''ESO'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is a part of the '' Elder Scrolls'' series. It was ...
''. Other continents exist on Nirn aside from Tamriel, such as Akavir, Pyandonea, Yokuda, and Atmora, but the people of Tamriel have little to no contact with these other continents and therefore do not possess much verifiable knowledge about them. Tamriel comprises nine provinces, each of which is dominated by a distinct race: Black Marsh is home to the Argonians; Cyrodiil is home to the Imperials; Elsweyr is home to the Khajiit; Hammerfell is home to the Redguards; High Rock is home to the Bretons; Morrowind is home to the Dunmer, or Dark Elves; Skyrim is home to the Nords; Summerset Isle is home to the Altmer, or High Elves; and Valenwood is home to the Bosmer, or Wood Elves. A tenth race, the Orsimer, or Orcs, reside in settlements scattered across Tamriel and, at some points in history, a kingdom inside High Rock known as Orsinium. Although various empires have controlled Tamriel over its several thousand years of recorded history, most games in the series have taken place during the Third Cyrodiilic Empire, which initially unites the entire continent under the reign of the Septim dynasty. In ''Arena'', players are tasked with freeing the Emperor Uriel Septim VII from a magical prison engineered by his court wizard, who has usurped the throne and magically disguised himself as the Emperor. In ''Daggerfall'', Uriel VII tasks the player with finding a powerful artifact. The player can give it to any of several factions, which will use it to reshape the regional power structure. In ''Morrowind'', the player is prophesied to be the reincarnation of a great elven hero. Taking advantage of this, the Empire tasks the player with stabilizing the province of Morrowind by putting down a rebellion by a would-be god. In ''Oblivion'', a religious cult opens a dimensional gate to a Hell-like realm and throws the Empire into chaos by killing Uriel VII and all of his known heirs. Although the player assists an illegitimate royal heir in closing the dimensional gate, the heir's heroic sacrifice brings an abrupt end to the Septim bloodline, causing a succession crisis that devastates the Empire and reduces it to a
rump state A rump state is the remnant of a once much larger state that was reduced in the wake of secession, annexation, occupation, decolonization, a successful coup d'état or revolution on part of its former territory. In the last case, a government st ...
. In ''Skyrim'', the Empire (now ruled by the Mede dynasty) is recovering from a horrific war against an elven
separatist Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
ethnostate An ethnocracy is a type of political structure in which the state apparatus is controlled by a dominant ethnic group (or groups) to further that group's interests, power, dominance, and resources. Ethnocratic regimes in the modern era typically ...
the Aldmeri Dominion which covers most of southwest Tamriel, and whose terms of surrender have weakened the Empire even further and ultimately led to an ongoing civil war in the province of Skyrim. Amid these mounting tensions, Tamriel has to face the return of a legendary dragon known as "the World-Eater", long after dragons were thought to have gone extinct. ''The Elder Scrolls Online'' serves as a
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
to the Third Empire storyline, taking place in the middle of a 600-year
interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...
between the Second and Third Cyrodiilic Empires. The initial game follows the player, who has been sacrificed by followers of the Daedric prince Molag Bal, as they manage to return to the mortal plane with the help of a former Emperor masquerading as a prophet. The player must join one of the three different military alliances that are vying for control of Tamriel in the Three Banners War, but is ultimately tasked with uniting all three factions against Molag Bal's attempt to assimilate the entirety of the planet Nirn into his realm of Coldharbour. The Elder Scrolls themselves play a very limited role in the storyline of the series, usually only as a framing plot device (i.e. "
he events in this game He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...
were foretold in the Elder Scrolls..."). The Elder Scrolls are rarely referenced in the games. ''The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'' marks the first appearance of the Scrolls in the final quest of the Thieves Guild quest-line. The Scroll appears as an incomprehensible chart containing luminous
glyph A glyph ( ) is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A ...
s. ''Oblivion'' further introduces monks who dedicate their lives to the study of the scrolls. In ''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'', the Scrolls are integrated into the series' creation myth and are portrayed as potentially causing insanity when deciphered. The Scrolls are used in the main quest to travel back in time and learn how to defeat the antagonist, an immortal dragon. ''Skyrim''s ''Dawnguard'' expansion adds a quest to acquire the Scrolls to either assist or stop a vampire from blotting out the sun.


Future

At
E3 2016 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 (E3 2016) was the 22nd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to attendees, primarily retailers and m ...
,
Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Game Studios is an American video game developer and a studio of ZeniMax Media based in Rockville, Maryland. It is best known for its action role-playing franchises, including ''The Elder Scrolls'', '' Fallout'', and '' Starfield''. B ...
director
Todd Howard Todd Andrew Howard (born 1970) is an American video game designer, Creative director, director, and Video game producer, producer. He serves as director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the development of the ...
reported that the studio was already working on a sixth installment in ''The Elder Scrolls'' franchise, although it would still be "a very long way off" and at
E3 2017 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 (E3 2017) was the 23rd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
,
Bethesda Softworks Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a Division (business), division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of Z ...
vice president of
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
stated that no new title was in active development, and that they have "at least two major titles" to complete before this would change. In an interview in June 2023, Todd Howard stated that ''The Elder Scrolls VI'' will come after '' Starfield'', and it may be the last ''Elder Scrolls'' he makes. At
E3 2018 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018 (E3 2018) was the 24th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
, Howard presented a short teaser trailer for ''The Elder Scrolls VI'' and announced that it would be released following '' Starfield''.


Other media

In 2009, science-fiction author
Gregory Keyes Gregory Keyes (born April 11, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who has written both original and media-related novels under both the names J. Gregory Keyes and Greg Keyes. Early life Keyes was born in Meridian, Mississ ...
released '' The Infernal City'', a novel set approximately 40 years after the Oblivion Crisis. ''
Lord of Souls ''Lord of Souls'' is a fantasy novel by Greg Keyes. It is the second of two books based on ''The Elder Scrolls'' series of video games. It was published on September 27, 2011, by Titan Books in the UK, and by Del Rey Books in the US. Plot Like ...
'' was released in 2011 as Keyes's second novel in his ''The Elder Scrolls'' book series.


Reception


Critical reception

In 2012, ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' ranked ''The Elder Scrolls'' at number 20 on the list of the best video game franchises. In 2013, ''The Elder Scrolls'' was voted as the Greatest Game Series of the Decade on
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
, beating out 64 other competitors. ''The Elder Scrolls'' reached the final round, beating the ''
Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is prima ...
'' series by a margin of 52.5% of the vote for ''The Elder Scrolls'' to 47.5% for ''Grand Theft Auto''.


Controversies

The fourth main game of the series, ''Oblivion'', was initially released with a Teen rating by the
ESRB The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Softw ...
, but after reports that its developers failed to disclose content that would not be encountered through normal gameplay but would be inconsistent with that rating, the ESRB took a second look at ''Oblivion'' that took the obscured content into consideration and in an unprecedented move that drew large public attention, raised the game's rating to Mature. In August 2011, Bethesda Softworks contacted the developer of ''
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...
'',
Mojang Mojang AB, trading as Mojang Studios, is a Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm. A first-party developer for Xbox Game Studios, the studio is best known for developing the sandbox and survival game ''Minecraft'', the best-selli ...
, claiming that the intended trademark of the title ''
Scrolls A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyru ...
'' for its new game breached Bethesda's trademark on ''The Elder Scrolls''. On March 10, 2012,
Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson ( , ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and Video game designer, designer. He is the creator of ''Minecraft'', which is the List of best-selling video games, best-selling ...
tweeted that the two had come to an agreement over the use of the name. The agreement prohibits Mojang from using the title ''Scrolls'' in any future sequels of the game. In May 2019, Bethesda Softworks released a promotional free tabletop role-playing game titled ''Elsweyr''. It was accused of being plagiarized as it shared a very similar plot to the ''
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
'' adventure "The Black Road", written by Paige Leitman and Ben Heisler, and contains reworded text that substitutes some words for synonyms. After Leitman posted about the similarities on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
, the game was removed from their ''The Elder Scrolls Online'' Facebook page.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elder Scrolls, The Action role-playing video games Fantasy video games Mythopoeia Microsoft franchises Open-world video games Video game franchises introduced in 1994 Video games about magic Video games adapted into novels Video games set on fictional planets ZeniMax Media franchises