The Elder Scrolls Online

Like previous Elder Scrolls games, The Elder Scrolls Online can be played from either a first or third-person perspective. Gameplay is mostly non-linear, with a mixture of quests, random events, and free-roaming exploration of the world. The game does not provide a mode for single-player offline play, although the developers stated that there would be "plenty of content" for online solo play.

The player can choose between ten different races for their character:

The Elder Scrolls Online is set on the continent of Tamriel during the Second Era, but not all places in Tamriel are playable. The events of the game occur a millennium before those of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and around 800 years before The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Its structure is broadly similar to Skyrim, with two separate conflicts progressing at the same time, one with the fate of the world in the balance, and one where the prize is supreme power on Tamriel. In The Elder Scrolls Online, the first struggle is against the Daedric Prince Molag Bal, who is attempting to meld the plane of Mundus with his realm of Coldharbour, and the second is to capture the vacant imperial throne, contested by three alliances of the mortal races. The player character has been sacrificed to Molag Bal, and Molag Bal has stolen their soul, the recovery of which is the primary game objective.

Many parts of the continent of Tamriel can be explored in the game, with all zones accessible regardless of faction or player level. Some zones become accessible only through DLCs, which can be either purchased from the Crown Store or are available as part of the ESO Plus subscription service. Players have the opportunity to join any of the three factions warring over the Ruby Throne of the Emperor of Tamriel: the First Aldmeri Dominion (represented by an eagle) led by Queen Ayrenn and composed of the Altmer (High Elf), Bosmer (Wood Elf), and Khajiit races; the Daggerfall Covenant (represented by a lion) led by High King Emeric and composed of the Bretons, Redguards, and Orsimer (Orcs); and the Ebonheart Pact (represented by a dragon) led by Jorunn Skald-King and composed of the Nord, Dunmer (Dark Elf), and Argonian races.

The Elder Scrolls Online had been in development for seven years before its release in 2014. It was the first project from ZeniMax Online Studios, which was formed in 2007 as a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. Matt Firor, studio lead at ZeniMax Online, served as director of The Elder Scrolls Online. ZeniMax Online licensed the HeroEngine in November 2007, which was used as a whiteboard for the game while the main production engine was in development. The game's development was funded by Providence Equity Partners and reinvested profits from the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

com. Information about the game and its imminent May 2012 announcement was leaked in March 2012 to online publication Tom's Guide by an anonymous industry source. According to the leak, the game was scheduled to be shown at E3 2012 in June and QuakeCon 2012 in August. On November 8, 2012, Bethesda released a video on YouTube called "An Introduction to The Elder Scrolls Online", in which the game's developers talk about the game's content and development.

The Elder Scrolls Online received "mixed or average" reviews from critics for the PC version, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. PC Gamer gave it a score of 68/100, writing that it is "an MMORPG of moderate scope with a few good ideas" but cautioning that "'okay' isn't good enough when you're facing down this much of a premium."

ZeniMax addressed many of the game's early criticisms and released major updates. In January 2015, they announced that the game would no longer be using a subscription model, becoming effective March 17, 2015. ZeniMax also announced that it would be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 9, 2015, and that it would be rebranded as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.