It was just supposed to be a fun little promo item to help spark excitement for The Elder Scrolls Online’s next expansion, but the free Elsweyr adventure has become something of a tempest in a teapot for the game’s staff, as we noted morning.
As of last night, the company issued a statement and apology on Twitter, stating that the intention was to have a new scenario created to play within the ruleset of a well-known and popular game. The staff is apparently “looking into” why this didn’t occur. Fans are also reassured that the scenario itself was not based on or informed by anything found within the expansion itself, so if you were worried that the actual expansion would contain anything of dubious origin, rest easy.
Last but not least, players who already have the adventure are asked to avoid distributing it, out of respect for the original author.
The adventure in question was put up on the game’s Facebook page earlier in the week, then quickly taken down as people noticed that it bore a sharp resemblance to a different adventure published by Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast in 2016.
Thanks again to everyone who highlighted the issue of alleged plagiarism in relation to the ESO Elsweyr tabletop RPG promotion. Our intention had been to create and give away a unique Elsweyr inspired scenario that could be played within any popular tabletop RPG rule set. (1/3)
— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) May 9, 2019
Lastly, to avoid any confusion, please note that there is no correlation between this scenario and anything that will eventually appear within the video game. (3/3)
— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) May 9, 2019
