Line #14 Trivia/TheElderScrolls


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2	* AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder: The main series has seemingly fallen victim to Bethesda's ADD. Since ''Skyrim'' (not counting ''Skyrim''[='s=] numerous re-releases), Bethesda has developed, produced, and/or published three ''Elder Scrolls'' spin-off titles (''Online'', ''Legends'', and ''Blades''), ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'', the ''Franchise/{{Dishonored}}'' series, a new ''Wolfenstein'' series, ''The Evil Within'' series, ''VideoGame/Doom2016'', ''VideoGame/Prey2017'', and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 76}}'', with their next upcoming game slated to be ''VideoGame/{{Starfield}}''. At E3 2018, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkFdqqyI8y4 The Elder Scrolls VI]]'' was announced... vaguely. It is stated to be in pre-production and will not be released until after ''Starfield''.
3	* ApprovalOfGod: Bethesda is extremely supportive of ''The Elder Scrolls'' modding community, publishing a modding kit with every game they release that is essentially the tools they used to make them. ''Skyrim'' would then serve as the launch title for Steam Workshop.
4	* BreakthroughHit: The series, specifically with ''Morrowind'', is the mainstream claim to fame for Creator/{{Bethesda}}.
5	* CashCowFranchise: One of two for Bethesda, along with its ''Fallout'' sister series. It boasts five main series games, three GaidenGame spin-offs, and two official novels. Each main series game since ''Morrowind'' has received at least two major expansion packs/[=DLCs=], as well as an UpdatedRerelease (with ''Skyrim'' now up to ''four'' such re-releases).
6	* DeliberateFlawRetcon: "It's not a bug, it's a feature" could practically be Bethesda's motto when it comes to the series. Contributing is Bethesda's attitude that [[GoodBadBugs bugs which are fun]] but [[GameBreakingBug do not break the game too much]] are [[ThrowItIn allowed to remain]].
7	* DuelingGames:
8	** Following the series' [[VideoGame3DLeap jump to 3D]], ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' competed head to head with ''VideoGame/FableI'' and ''VideoGame/FableII'', respectively. ''The Elder Scrolls'' came out on top handily in both cases. (Bethesda even slipped in a TakeThat at the ''Fable'' series in [[AuthorAvatar M'aiq the Liar]]'s dialogue.)
9	** ''Skyrim'' brought the series into competition with ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise, specifically going head-to-head with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]''. ''Skyrim'' won a close victory in terms of reviews while easily outselling ''Skyward Sword'' (though had a MultiPlatform built-in advantage). ''Skyrim''[='s=] later UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port brought it into competition with ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', itself drawing many elements from ''The Elder Scrolls'' franchise.
10	* DummiedOut: Exploration of the Construction Set files for the games shows that quite a bit of content is developed but never finished or implemented in the final product. Famous examples include the ability to join the Sixth House in ''Morrowind'' and the more complex Civil War questlines (with additional city battles) in ''Skyrim''. In many of the cases, enough of the code still exists for [[GameMod modders]] to complete it and implement it themselves.
11	* ExecutiveVeto: The disappearance of the [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]] is the franchise's longest running RiddleForTheAges. To date, only hints and theories have been presented as to why they vanished. When the development team of ''Online'' wanted to explore the disappearance of the Dwemer, the idea was "[[https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-elder-scrolls-online/dwemer nixed]]" by Executive Director Creator/ToddHoward, who stated "this [is] something we will never do, we will never come out and spoil the mystery and the secrets of the Dwemer".
12	* GenrePopularizer: The series for WideOpenSandbox {{Western RPG}}s. Starting with ''Arena'' way back in 1994, ''TES'' was one of the few series to survive the genre crash in the late 90s. A massive NewbieBoom came along with ''Morrowind'' in 2002, being both a critical hit and the first game in the series to receive a MultiPlatform release on console as well as PC, getting it into the hands of a wider audience. The series' popularity would only increase with the the subsequent releases of ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim'', cementing its genre as a bastion of western gaming.
13	* LyingCreator: Series Director Creator/ToddHoward has a habit of saying that they are absolutely, positively, unambiguously ''NOT'' working on another ''Elder Scrolls'' title... usually, it isn't long after that the next ''Elder Scrolls'' title is announced.
14	* KillerApp: The series is one for the WesternRPG genre, as well as the WideOpenSandbox style and for Creator/XboxGameStudios consoles in general.
15	* MilestoneCelebration: Bethesda released ''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'' as FreewareGames in 2004 and 2009, respectively, marking the 10th and 15th anniversaries of the series.
16	* MultiPlatform: The series first went multi-platform starting with ''Morrowind'' ([=XBox=] and PC). Every game since has followed suit, expanding to every console of its current generation in addition to being a PC mainstay.
17	* NewbieBoom: The series in general got one starting with ''Morrowind''. In the mid-to-late 90s, the series was another drop in the staggering bucket of WesternRPG games available for the PC. Then ''Morrowind'' was released on both PC and Xbox. In addition to being a critical hit, this MultiPlatform release allowed it to get into the hands of a wider audience, making it the BreakthroughHit for {{Creator/Bethesda}}. After the runaway successes of ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim'', the series' status as one of the pillars of western gaming was cemented.
18	* NoAdaptationsAllowed: Despite having two Hollywood producers on their board, Bethesda have turned down numerous offers to adapt the games into a movie. [[VideoGameMoviesSuck Given the track record of movies based on video games]], it is not surprising that Bethesda is so hesitant.
19	* OrphanedReference: Naturally, with games so dense with content, references to places, items, people, and quests which have been DummiedOut still slip through into the final product. Specific examples can be found on the trope page listed by game.
20	* ThePeteBest: Creator/JulianLeFay played in instrumental role as a game designer and programmer for Creator/{{Bethesda}} in the company's early days, playing a pivitol role in creating the series as the lead programmer for ''Arena'', ''Daggerfall'', and ''Battlespire''. However, when it came time for development to begin on ''Morrowind'', [=LeFay=] was not picked for the development team. Around the same time, he started having increasing concerns over Bethesda's changing corporate culture in the latter half of the 90's, so he eventually tendered his resignation from the company in 1998, citing CreativeDifferences, but still made some small contributions to ''Morrowind'' at the behest of his good friend and Bethesda founder Christopher Weaver. It would be [=LeFay=]'s unfortunate luck that ''Morrowind'' would turn out to be the BreakthroughHit for both the ''TES'' series and for Bethesda, leading to a massive NewbieBoom that propelled both into the mainstream gaming conciousness. [=LeFay=] would then be supplanted as [[MyRealDaddy the creator of Elder Scrolls]] in eyes of fans who experienced the series from ''Morrowind'' onwards by series' writer Creator/MichaelKirkbride and director/designer Creator/ToddHoward.
21	* RereleasedForFree: Bethesda released ''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'' as FreewareGames in 2004 and 2009, respectively, marking the 10th and 15th anniversaries of the series.
22	* ScheduleSlip: The series is quite well known among the fandom for this. If Bethesda gives a date for something relating to the series, don't get your hopes up that it will be met. Perhaps most notable was a letter packed with ''Battlespire'' promising that ''Morrowind'' would be released around late 1998. It would actually be released in 2002.
23	* SequelGap: The series has had three gaps of at least five years to date: ''Daggerfall'' (1996) to ''Morrowind'' (2002), ''Oblivion'' (2006) to ''Skyrim'' (2011), and now from ''Skyrim'' to whenever ''TES:VI'' will be.
24	* UrbanLegendOfZelda: The highly detailed nature of the series' WorldBuilding gives plenty of opportunities for these to take root. Specific examples are listed by game on the trope page.
25	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Despite the sheer amount of content in each game, even more ends up failing to be implemented due to either time or technical limitations. The series even has [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/TheElderScrolls its own sub-page]].
26	* UpdatedRerelease: The series is somewhat famous for churning these out for each game wherever possible. ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' both received "Game of the Year" editions bundled with their major expansions. ''Skyrim'' has reached the point of infamy for this, receiving ''four'' special edition re-releases to date.
27	* WordOfGay: Overt references to Pelinal Whitestrake's homosexuality were apparently removed from the Song of Pelinal, but Huna (who Pelinal "loved well") has been confirmed as male by the author.
28	* WordOfGod: Or WordOfDante[=/=]WordOfSaintPaul, depending on how "canon" you consider the works to be. Some of the series' developers and former developers have posted [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/obscure-texts "obscure texts"]] on the official forums regarding a number of in-game topics and characters. They are generally regarded by the fandom as at least LooseCanon, with the lore community in particular considering them even ''more canon'' than the UnreliableCanon generally presented in the games themselves. [[MyRealDaddy Michael Kirkbride]] wrote a number of them which fill in gaps around the Tribunal, Vivec, the Dwemer, the Daedric Princes, and many other topics. (Kirkbride is also the author of many of the in-game books, including most-famously the ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' series.)
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Context Trivia / TheElderScrolls