It’s an oft-repeated point but one that still holds water: World of Warcraft has made an indelible mark on MMORPGs, for good or for ill. That most certainly was felt by the developers of The Elder Scrolls Online, particularly by former creative director Paul Sage, who readers might recall is now head of Ruckus Games.
Sage offered some insight into developing ESO in an interview in which he remarked how Blizzard’s kaiju-sized title had him and his team believing that MMO fans had certain expectations – and how they were trying to buck some of those ideas.
“One of the things we had to do was break out of the WoW mold, more than break out of the Elder Scrolls mold. […] And actually, Bethesda, to their credit, were amazingly generous with what they allowed us to do on the MMO.”
Consequently, Sage remarked on how following the model of the Elder Scrolls IP was easier than chasing WoW’s design tenets, particularly as a self-described “Elder Scrolls nerd.” Now with 10 years under its belt and a spot in the “big five” of our genre, it’s clear that Sage and his team have managed to stick the landing.
