The parent company of Bethesda Softworks, which created The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the upcoming Fallout 3, has just opened a new division focused exclusively on MMOs. Called ZeniMax Online Studios, the division will be by Matt Firor, an expert in the field of online gaming and a founder of Mythic Entertainment.
What does this mean for the next game in the Elder Scrolls series? We can only hope it means the game will include an online component (minus the monthly subscription fee, of course). And what about Fallout 3, which is scheduled to ship in 2008 for PC (and presumably for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well)?
Details are slim, but it’s unlikely Fallout 3 will include any such features, considering it’s already under development. The Elder Scrolls V… now that could be a different story.
But back to Firor: at Mythic, he was the producer of Dark Age of Camelot, a MMO that’s still considered one of the most influential online games ever. When he left Mythic in 2006, Firor was responsible for all development projects at the company, and for the past year, he has been a consultant in the online gaming industry. Now that he’s got a full-time home, it’s safe to say we can expect some good things from Bethesda … or, rather, ZeniMax Online Studios.