The Elder Scrolls

Video game franchise

Video game series

The Elder Scrolls

Genre(s)| Action role-playing
Developer(s)|

* Primary
* Bethesda Softworks (1994–1998)
* Bethesda Game Studios (2002–present)
* Other
* Vir2L Studios (2003–2004)
* TKO Software (2004)
* ZeniMax Online Studios (2014)
* Dire Wolf Digital (2017)

Publisher(s)|

* Primary
* Bethesda Softworks (1994–present)
* 2K Games (Oblivion only)
* Other
* Vir2L Studios (2003–2004)
* Nokia (2004)

Platform(s)|

* Android
* iOS
* J2ME
* macOS
* Microsoft Windows
* MS-DOS
* N-Gage
* Nintendo Switch
* PlayStation 3
* PlayStation 4
* PlayStation 5
* Stadia
* Xbox
* Xbox 360
* Xbox One
* Xbox Series X/S

First release| The Elder Scrolls: Arena
March 25, 1994
Latest release| The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
April 22, 2025

The Elder Scrolls is a series of action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an open world. Most games in the series have been critically and commercially successful, with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) all winning Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets. The series has sold more than 59 million copies worldwide.[a]

Within the series' fictional universe, each game takes place on the continent of Tamriel. The setting combines pre-medieval real-world elements, such as a powerful Roman-like Empire, with high fantasy medieval themes, including limited technology, widespread magic use, and the existence of many mythological creatures. The continent is split into a number of provinces inhabited by humans and humanoid fantasy races such as elves, orcs and anthropomorphic animals. A common theme in the lore is that a chosen hero (represented by the player's character) rises to defeat an impending threat, typically a malevolent being or an antagonistic army.

Since debuting with The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994, the series has produced a total of five main games (of which the last three have each featured two or three expansions) as well as several spin-offs.[7] In 2014, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls Online, was released by Bethesda's affiliated ZeniMax subsidiary ZeniMax Online Studios.

## Development history

[edit]

Release timeline

Main series in bold

1994| I: Arena

|

1995
1996| II: Daggerfall
1997| Battlespire
1998| Adventures: Redguard
1999–2001
2002| III: Morrowind
III: Tribunal
2003| III: Bloodmoon
Travels: Stormhold
2004| Travels: Dawnstar
Travels: Shadowkey
2005
2006| IV: Oblivion
Travels: Oblivion
IV: Knights of the Nine
2007| IV: Shivering Isles
2008–2010
2011| V: Skyrim
2012| V: Dawnguard
V: Hearthfire
V: Dragonborn
2013
2014| Online
2015
2016| V: Special Edition
2017| Legends
V VR
Online Morrowind
2018| Online Summerset
2019| Online Elsweyr
2020| Blades
Online Greymoor
2021| Online Blackwood
V Anniversary
2022| Online High Isle
2023| Online Necrom
2024| Online Gold Road
Castles
2025| IV: Oblivion Remastered
TBA| VI

### Before The Elder Scrolls

[edit]

Further information: List of The Elder Scrolls video games

Prior to working on The Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda had worked predominantly with sports and action games. In the six years from its founding to Arena's 1994 release, Bethesda had released ten games, six of them sports games,[8] with titles such as Hockey League Simulator, NCAA Basketball: Road to the Final Four ('91/'92 Edition), and Wayne Gretzky Hockey,[9] and the remaining four adaptations from other media,[8] primarily the Terminator series.[9] Bethesda's course changed abruptly when it began working on its first action role-playing game. Designer Ted Peterson recalls: "I remember talking to the guys at Sir-Tech who were doing Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant at the time, and them literally laughing at us for thinking we could do it."[10] Ted Peterson worked alongside Vijay Lakshman as one of the initial designers of what became known as Arena, a "medieval-style gladiator game".[10][11]

### Arena

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls: Arena

Peterson and Lakshman were joined by Julian Lefay who, according to Peterson, "really spear-headed the initial development of the series".[10] Peterson, Lakshman, and LeFay were longtime aficionados of pen-and-paper role-playing games,[10] which greatly influenced the creation of the world of Tamriel.[11] They were also fans of Looking Glass Studios' Ultima Underworld series, their main inspiration for Arena.[10] Initially, Arena was not to be a role-playing game at all. The player, and a team of their fighters, would travel the world, fighting other teams in their arenas until the player became "grand champion" in the world's capital, the Imperial City.[11] Along the way, side quests of a more role-playing nature could be completed. As the process of development progressed, however, the tournaments became less important and the side quests more.[10] Role-playing game elements were added, as it expanded to include cities outside the arenas, and dungeons beyond the cities.[11] Eventually it was decided to drop the idea of tournaments altogether, and focus on quests and dungeons,[10] making the game a "full-blown [role-playing game]".[11] Although the team had dropped all arena combat from the game, all the material had already been printed up with the title, so the game went to market as The Elder Scrolls: Arena. Lakshman, who then worked at Christopher Weaver's Bethesda Softworks, came up with the name of The Elder Scrolls[10] and the words eventually came to mean "Tamriel's mystical tomes of knowledge that told of its past, present, and future".[11] The game's initial voice-over was changed in response, beginning: "It has been foretold in the Elder Scrolls ..."[10]

Bethesda missed their Christmas 1993 deadline for releasing Arena, and the game was released in the first quarter of 1994 instead, a "really serious [mistake] for a small developer/publisher like Bethesda Softworks". The packaging included a scantily clad female warrior, which further contributed to distributor concern, leading to an initial distribution of only 20,000 units. Having missed the Christmas sales season, the development team was concerned that they "had screwed the company". Nevertheless, sales continued to grow, month after month, as news of the game was passed by word-of-mouth.[10] Despite some initial software bugs,[10] and the formidable demands the game made on players' machines,[12] it became a cult hit.[8] Evaluations of the game's success varied from "modest"[12] to "wild".[8] Still, the game maintained traction with its audience. Game historian Matt Barton concluded that "the game set a new standard for this type of role-playing video game, and demonstrated just how much room was left for innovation".[12]

### Daggerfall

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

A first-person screenshot from Daggerfall, demonstrating the user interface and graphical capabilities of the game

Work on The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall began after Arena's release in March 1994.[13] Ted Peterson was assigned the role of lead game designer.[10] He endeavoured to make Daggerfall's plot less "clichéd" than Arena's and involve a "complex series of adventures leading to multiple resolutions".[10] With Daggerfall, Arena's experience-point-based system was replaced with one rewarding the player for conducting role-playing activities with their character.[13] Daggerfall came equipped with an improved character generation engine, one that included a GURPS-influenced class creation system, offering players the chance to create their own classes, and assign their own skills.[10][14] Daggerfall was developed with an XnGine engine, one of the first truly 3D engines. Daggerfall realized a game world the size of Great Britain,[13] filled with 15,000 towns and a population of 750,000.[8] It was influenced by analog games and literature that Julian LeFay or Ted Peterson happened to be playing or reading at the time, such as Dumas's The Man in the Iron Mask and Vampire: The Masquerade.[10] It was released in September 1996.[15] Like Arena, Daggerfall's initial release suffered from some bugs, leaving consumers disgruntled.[12] These early anomalies were fixed in later versions. This experience led to a more prudent release schedule for future games.[16]

###  Battlespire and Redguard

[edit]

Following the release of Daggerfall, work began on three separate projects at once: An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire, The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Battlespire, originally titled Dungeon of Daggerfall: Battlespire, was the first of the three to be released,[17] on November 30, 1997.[18] Originally designed as an expansion pack for Daggerfall, it was eventually rebranded as a standalone game. Battlespire focused on dungeon romping and offered multiplayer gaming in the form of a player versus player deathmatch mode, the only series title to do so[17] prior to the release of The Elder Scrolls Online in 2014. Redguard was the second of the three titles to be released, on October 31, 1998.[19] It was an action-adventure game inspired by Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, and the Ultima series.[20] Redguard did not offer the player the chance to create their own character. Instead, players would play the prefabricated "Cyrus the Redguard".[20] Both games did poorly with Bethesda's target audience. Players used to the vast open spaces of Daggerfall did not take well to the reduced worlds of Redguard and Battlespire. Based upon its customers' clear desire for massive role-playing game worlds, Bethesda redoubled its efforts to build the next major chapter.[8]

### Morrowind

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

A third-person screenshot from the game, demonstrating Morrowind’s advanced graphics: pixel-shaded water; long render distances; and detailed textures and models.

The third title in The Elder Scrolls series was conceived during the development of Daggerfall.[21] Initially designed to encompass the whole province of Morrowind and allow the player to join all five Dunmer Great Houses, it was decided that the scope of the game was too much for the technology available at the time.[21] At publication, it covered the province's central isle of Vvardenfell and allowed the player to join three of the Great Houses. The XnGine was scrapped and replaced with Numerical Design Limited's Gamebryo, a Direct3D-powered engine with transform, clipping, and lighting capacity,[22] 32-bit textures and skeletal animation.[23] It was decided that the game world would be populated using the methods the team had developed in Redguard; with the game objects crafted by hand, rather than generated using random algorithmic methods.[24]

The project took "close to 100-man-years to create". Bethesda tripled their staff and spent the first year developing The Elder Scrolls Construction Set. This allowed the game staff to easily balance the game and to modify it in small increments rather than large.[21] Ted Peterson, who had left following the release of Daggerfall, returned to work as an author of in-game material, and as a general consultant on the lore-based aspects of the work.[25] The PC version of Morrowind had gone gold by April 23, 2002,[26][27] and was released on May 1 in North America,[28] with the Xbox release set at June 7.[29] On January 3, Bethesda announced that game publisher Ubisoft would take control of Morrowind's European distribution, in addition to those of eight other Bethesda games.[30]

The expansion pack The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal went gold on November 1[31] and was released, with little fanfare,[32] on November 6.[33] Tribunal puts the player in the self-contained, walled city of Mournhold, which can be teleported to from Morrowind's land mass.[31] Development on the expansion began after Morrowind shipped, giving the developers a mere five-month development cycle to release the game. The prior existence of the Construction Set, however, meant that the team "already had the tools in place to add content and features very quickly".[34] Interface improvements, and specifically an overhaul of Morrowind's journal system, were among the key goals.[34][35] Morrowind's second expansion, The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon, went gold by May 23,[36] and was released on June 6.[37] It had been worked on since the release of Tribunal.[38] In the expansion, the player travels to the frozen island of Solstheim and is asked to investigate the uneasiness of the soldiers stationed there.

### Oblivion

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

An in-game screenshot showing Oblivion's user interface, HDR lighting and long draw distance, changes made as part of a goal to create "cutting-edge graphics"[39]

Work on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion began in 2002, after Morrowind's publication.[40] Oblivion was developed by Bethesda Softworks, and the initial Xbox 360 and PC releases were co-published by Bethesda and Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games.[41][42] Oblivion was released on March 21, 2006.[43] The game centers around an event referred to as "The Oblivion Crisis", where portals to the planes of Oblivion open and release hordes of Daedra upon Tamriel. Developers working on Oblivion focused on providing a tighter storyline, more developed characters,[44][45] and to make information in the game world more accessible to players.[46] Oblivion features improved AI,[47][48] improved physics,[49] and improved graphics.[50][51][52] Bethesda developed and implemented procedural content creation tools in the creation of Oblivion's terrain, leading to landscapes that are more complex and realistic than those of past titles, but had less of a drain on Bethesda's staff.[53][54] Two downloadable expansion packs, Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles were released in 2006 and 2007, respectively.[55][56] Knights of the Nine added a questline surrounding the search for a set of Crusader relics, while Shivering Isles added the eponymous plane to the game.

A remaster of Oblivion was revealed and subsequently released on April 22, 2025.

### Skyrim

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

A third-person screenshot from Skyrim

In August 2010, Todd Howard revealed Bethesda was working on a game that had been in development since the release of Oblivion, and that progress was very far along. While the game was conceptualized after Oblivion's release, main development was restricted until after Fallout 3 was released.[57] In November, Kristian West, then the editor-in-chief of Eurogamer's Danish outlet, reported overhearing a developer on a plane talking about the project; a new The Elder Scrolls game,[58][59] although Bethesda did not comment on the report. At the Spike Video Game Awards in December, Howard appeared on stage to unveil a teaser trailer and announce the title of the game.[60] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011, to widespread critical acclaim. It was awarded 'Game of the Year' by IGN,[61] Spike[62] and others. The game is set after the events of Oblivion, when the great dragon Alduin the World Eater returns to Skyrim; a beast whose existence threatens all life in Tamriel. The setting is heavily based on Scandinavia, as seen in the climate and creatures the character encounters. Three pieces of add-ons were released on PC and Xbox 360 in 2012 – Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn, with a PlayStation 3 release in February 2013. Dawnguard added two joinable factions and an associated questline revolving around Vampires and the Dawnguard, a group of vampire hunters, while Hearthfire added more home customization options including a house creation kit and the ability to adopt children. Dragonborn added the island of Solstheim to the northeast. On October 28, 2016, Skyrim – Special Edition was released.[63] In 2016, on the fifth anniversary of Skyrim's release, Zen Studios developed and released a virtual pinball adaptation of the game as part of the Bethesda Pinball collection, which became available as part of Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX 2[64] and Pinball FX 3,[65] as well as a separate free-to-play app for iOS and Android mobile devices.[66] On November 17, 2017, Skyrim VR was released for PlayStation 4.[67] On June 10, 2018, Skyrim: Very Special Edition, a voice-activated text adventure game poking fun at the game's many releases, was released for Amazon Alexa devices.[68] The player character, Dragonborn, is a downloadable Mii fighter costume in the Nintendo crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[69]

### The Elder Scrolls Online and Legends

[edit]

On May 3, 2012, The Elder Scrolls Online was revealed. The Elder Scrolls Online was released for Windows and macOS on April 4, 2014, with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions initially slated to follow in June 2014 but later delayed until June 9, 2015.[70] The game originally required a subscription to play, but this requirement was dropped on March 17, 2015.[71] There is however a subscription service entitled "ESO Plus" which grants access to all current and future downloadable content (DLC). The DLC is otherwise available for individual purchase in the Crown Store. Additionally, the optional subscription grants various perks that allow players to progress slightly faster than a free player, and grants them a payment of 1650 crowns per month.[72] On June 14, 2015, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, a collectible card game, was announced by Bethesda during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015. It was released on March 9, 2017, for Microsoft Windows and is in beta for Android, iOS, and macOS.

### Blades and Castles

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls: Blades

At Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference, Todd Howard announced The Elder Scrolls: Blades, originally planned for release in Q3 2018, and it was originally expected to be released for Apple and Android phones first, followed by PC and console, including VR. The player is able to play as a member of the faction called the Blades, who has returned home to their town to find it destroyed. There are survival, arena, and town-building modes, with multiplayer support through its arena and town-building mode, as well as cross-platform. The game is also able to be played in portrait mode, unusual for a role-playing game.[73][74] The early access of Blades began March 27, 2019 for those who pre-ordered the game. Blades was expected to be fully released some time in early 2019,[75] before being released for Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch in May 2020.[76] The Elder Scrolls: Castles, a mobile spin-off game similar to Fallout Shelter, was released for Android on September 28, 2023.[77]

### The Elder Scrolls VI

[edit]

Main article: The Elder Scrolls VI

Elder Scrolls VI was first announced as being in pre-production during E3 2018,[78] along with Starfield.[79] Phil Spencer said that The Elder Scrolls VI would be coming out after Playground Games' Fable title.[80]

## Gameplay

[edit]

The Elder Scrolls games are action role-playing games and include elements taken from action and adventure games. In Arena, players advance by killing monsters (and thereby gaining experience points) until a preset value is met, whereupon they level-up. However, in Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion, the series took a skill-based approach to character advancement. Players develop their characters' skills by applying them and only level-up when a certain set of skills have been developed. Skyrim took a new approach, where the more a skill is leveled, the more it helps to level the character. This shifted the focus away from character creation and more onto character development. The flexibility of the games' engines has facilitated the release of game extensions (or mods) through The Elder Scrolls Construction Set.

The Elder Scrolls main series of games emphasizes different aspects of the gaming experience than most role-playing games. A brief article by Joystiq in early November 2006 compared BioWare's creations to Bethesda's by noting a difference in emphasis. Bethesda's creations focused on "aesthetic presentation and open-ended adventuring"; BioWare's on a combat system and modular architecture.[81] This overarching aim has been noted by their designers as well. Bethesda has described their motivations in creating the first series game, Arena, as those of any good pen-and-paper role-playing games: creating an environment in which the player could be what the player wants and do what the player wants.[82] Daggerfall's manual begins with a design manifesto, declaring the developers' intention to "create a book with blank pages" and "a game designed to encourage exploration and reward curiosity". Choices, in the form of paths taken by the player, to do good, to chase after evil, are left open to the player, "just like in real life".[83] This design trend continued with Morrowind, following the hiatus of similarly epic games in the interim, though Joystiq's previously noted insistence on graphics came again to the fore. During the development of Morrowind, Bethesda tripled its staff, so as to perfectly color its newly hand-made world. In their own words, "We knew we had to exceed the visual polish of the other games on the market, and we made it our goal to put The Elder Scrolls back into the forefront of game innovation."[84]

## Series overview

[edit]

### Setting

[edit]

Map of Tamriel, c. 4E 201 (beginning of Skyrim)

The Elder Scrolls takes place in a high fantasy world with influences from real world cultures.[85]: 138 Like most works of high fantasy, The Elder Scrolls games are typically serious in tone and epic in scope, dealing with themes of a grand struggle against a supernatural or evil force. Many races exist in the world of The Elder Scrolls, some typical of high fantasy works, such as humans, orcs and elves; some atypical, such as the lizard-like Argonians and cat-like Khajiit; and some subversions, such as the extinct Dwemer, known colloquially as "dwarves", who follow the high fantasy stereotype of being subterranean, skilled metallurgists and masons, but are actually classified as a variety of elf who are highly technologically advanced. As is also typical in high fantasy works, magic and sorcery, mythical creatures, factions with their own political agendas, walled medieval cities and strongholds, and plot elements driven by prophecies and legends are common.

The Elder Scrolls is known for its attention to detail, including extensive lore, scenery and back story. There is no omniscient narrator. Instead, the lore is presented in-universe, as written by the fictional scholars who inhabit the world, and it is subject to their biases and speculation. Players are encouraged to form their own interpretations of the lore and have developed extensive fan works. The developers avoid invalidating or overruling fan theories through canon. Internal inconsistencies are explained as errors in scholarship. Some inconsistencies, such as incorporating mutually exclusive endings to earlier games, are intentionally introduced and explained as magical paradoxes.[86] Other elements of the lore are intentionally contradictory or made ambiguous to allow players to decide for themselves what is true. Players can, for example, deny being a prophesied hero or accept the role.[87]

The first game in the series, Arena, featured little in the way of lore and lacked many elements that would come to define the series.[88] An elaborate system of gods and myths were introduced in the second game, Daggerfall.[7] The lore's complexity came from a desire to improve on the writing in Arena, which had been criticized as lackluster.[89]

After Daggerfall, the designers focused on further expanding the lore once they realized they still did not know much about the world's fictional history or religions.[87] The series' fictional cosmology is inspired by Gnosticism.[90] There are contradictory creation myths, one of which claims that some of the gods were tricked into creating the mortal world, surrendering a portion of their power.  These became the Nine Divines (also known as Aedra), who are worshipped as benevolent deities.  A separate pantheon of more demonic deities known as the Daedra retain their full power and reside in Oblivion, a separate dimension.[91] Individual Daedra are not necessarily evil, though they are often depicted as lacking empathy.[92]

The Elder Scrolls games primarily take place on the continent of Tamriel, located on the planet of Nirn.[93] The exceptions are An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire, which is set in a different dimension; portions of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and the entirety of its expansion, Shivering Isles, which take place in Oblivion;[94] quests in Oblivion during the Dawnguard and Dragonborn add-ons of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; and further quests in Oblivion from The Elder Scrolls Online. Other continents exist on Nirn aside from Tamriel, such as Akavir, Pyandonea, Yokuda, and Atmora, but the people of Tamriel have little to no contact with these other continents and therefore do not possess much verifiable knowledge about them.[95]

Tamriel comprises nine provinces, each of which is dominated by a distinct race: Black Marsh is home to the Argonians; Cyrodiil is home to the Imperials; Elsweyr is home to the Khajiit; Hammerfell is home to the Redguards; High Rock is home to the Bretons; Morrowind is home to the Dunmer, or Dark Elves; Skyrim is home to the Nords; Summerset Isle is home to the Altmer, or High Elves; and Valenwood is home to the Bosmer, or Wood Elves. A tenth race, the Orsimer, or Orcs, reside in settlements scattered across Tamriel and, at some points in history, a kingdom inside High Rock known as Orsinium.[96]

Although various empires have controlled Tamriel over its several thousand years of recorded history, most games in the series have taken place during the Third Cyrodiilic Empire, which initially unites the entire continent under the reign of the Septim dynasty. In Arena, players are tasked with freeing the Emperor Uriel Septim VII from a magical prison engineered by his court wizard, who has usurped the throne and magically disguised himself as the Emperor. In Daggerfall, Uriel VII tasks the player with finding a powerful artifact. The player can give it to any of several factions, which will use it to reshape the regional power structure. In Morrowind, the player is prophesied to be the reincarnation of a great elven hero. Taking advantage of this, the Empire tasks the player with stabilizing the province of Morrowind by putting down a rebellion by a would-be god. In Oblivion, a religious cult opens a dimensional gate to a Hell-like realm and throws the Empire into chaos by killing Uriel VII and all of his known heirs. Although the player assists an illegitimate royal heir in closing the dimensional gate, the heir's heroic sacrifice brings an abrupt end to the Septim bloodline, causing a succession crisis that devastates the Empire and reduces it to a rump state. In Skyrim, the Empire (now ruled by the Mede dynasty) is recovering from a horrific war against an elven separatist ethnostate the Aldmeri Dominion which covers most of southwest Tamriel, and whose terms of surrender have weakened the Empire even further and ultimately led to an ongoing civil war in the province of Skyrim. Amid these mounting tensions, Tamriel has to face the return of a legendary dragon known as "the World-Eater", long after dragons were thought to have gone extinct.

The Elder Scrolls Online serves as a prequel to the Third Empire storyline, taking place in the middle of a 600-year interregnum between the Second and Third Cyrodiilic Empires. The initial game follows the player, who has been sacrificed by followers of the Daedric prince Molag Bal, as they manage to return to the mortal plane with the help of a former Emperor masquerading as a prophet. The player must join one of the three different military alliances that are vying for control of Tamriel in the Three Banners War, but is ultimately tasked with uniting all three factions against Molag Bal's attempt to assimilate the entirety of the planet Nirn into his realm of Coldharbour.

The Elder Scrolls themselves play a very limited role in the storyline of the series, usually only as a framing plot device (i.e. "[the events in this game] were foretold in the Elder Scrolls..."). The Elder Scrolls are rarely referenced in the games. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion marks the first appearance of the Scrolls in the final quest of the Thieves Guild quest-line.[7] The Scroll appears as an incomprehensible chart containing luminous glyphs. Oblivion further introduces monks who dedicate their lives to the study of the scrolls.[97] In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Scrolls are integrated into the series' creation myth and are portrayed as potentially causing insanity when deciphered. The Scrolls are used in the main quest to travel back in time and learn how to defeat the antagonist, an immortal dragon.[98] Skyrim's Dawnguard expansion adds a quest to acquire the Scrolls to either assist or stop a vampire from blotting out the sun.[99]

### Future

[edit]

At E3 2016, Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard reported that the studio was already working on a sixth installment in The Elder Scrolls franchise, although it would still be "a very long way off"[100] and at E3 2017, Bethesda Softworks vice president of public relations stated that no new title was in active development, and that they have "at least two major titles" to complete before this would change.[101] In an interview in June 2023, Todd Howard stated that The Elder Scrolls VI will come after Starfield, and it may be the last Elder Scrolls he makes.[102]

At E3 2018, Howard presented a short teaser trailer for The Elder Scrolls VI and announced that it would be released following Starfield.[103]

## Other media

[edit]

In 2009, science-fiction author Gregory Keyes released The Infernal City, a novel set approximately 40 years after the Oblivion Crisis. Lord of Souls was released in 2011 as Keyes's second novel in his The Elder Scrolls book series.

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2012)

|

Aggregate review scores  Game  | GameRankings | Metacritic

|
|

The Elder Scrolls: Arena | (PC) 80%[104] | —
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall | (PC) 79%[105] | —
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire | (PC) 63%[106] | —
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard | (PC) 78%[107] | —
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind | (PC) 89%[108]
(Xbox) 87%[109] | (PC) 89[110]
(Xbox) 87[111]
The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal | (PC) 81%[112] | (PC) 80[113]
The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon | (PC) 83%[114] | (PC) 85[115]
The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey | (NG) 56%[116] | —
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | (X360) 94%[117]
(PC) 93%[118]
(PS3) 93%[119] | (X360) 94[120]
(PC) 94[121]
(PS3) 93[122]
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine | (PC) 83%[123] | (PC) 81[124]
The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles | (X360) 88%[125]
(PC) 87%[126] | (X360) 86[127]
(PC) 86[128]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | (X360) 95%[129]
(PC) 94%[130]
(PS3) 88%[131] | (X360) 96[132]
(PC) 94[133]
(PS3) 92[134]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard | (PS3) 79%[135]
(X360) 76%[136]
(PC) 69%[137] | (PS3) 79[138]
(X360) 73[139]
(PC) 66[140]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire | (PS3) 74%[141]
(X360) 62%[142] | (PS3) 69[143]
(X360) 54[144]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn | (PS3) 83%[145]
(PC) 83%[146]
(X360) 83%[147] | (PC) 83[148]
(PS3) 82[149]
(X360) 82[150]
The Elder Scrolls Online | (PC) 71%[151] | (PC) 71[152]
The Elder Scrolls: Legends | (PC) 82%[153]
(iOS) 77%[154] | (PC) 80[155]

In 2012, Complex ranked The Elder Scrolls at number 20 on the list of the best video game franchises.[156] In 2013, The Elder Scrolls was voted as the Greatest Game Series of the Decade on GameSpot, beating out 64 other competitors. The Elder Scrolls reached the final round, beating the Grand Theft Auto series by a margin of 52.5% of the vote for The Elder Scrolls to 47.5% for Grand Theft Auto.[157][158]

### Controversies

[edit]

The fourth main game of the series, Oblivion, was initially released with a Teen rating by the ESRB, but after reports that its developers failed to disclose content that would not be encountered through normal gameplay but would be inconsistent with that rating, the ESRB took a second look at Oblivion that took the obscured content into consideration and in an unprecedented move that drew large public attention, raised the game's rating to Mature.[159]

In August 2011, Bethesda Softworks contacted the developer of Minecraft, Mojang, claiming that the intended trademark of the title Scrolls for its new game breached Bethesda's trademark on The Elder Scrolls.[160] On March 10, 2012, Markus Persson tweeted that the two had come to an agreement over the use of the name. The agreement prohibits Mojang from using the title Scrolls in any future sequels of the game.[161]

In May 2019, Bethesda Softworks released a promotional free tabletop role-playing game titled Elsweyr. It was accused of being plagiarized as it shared a very similar plot to the Dungeons & Dragons adventure "The Black Road", written by Paige Leitman and Ben Heisler, and contains reworded text that substitutes some words for synonyms.[162][163] After Leitman posted about the similarities on Facebook,[162] the game was removed from their The Elder Scrolls Online Facebook page.[164]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The Elder Scrolls Series sales:
* The Elder Scrolls: Arena: 120,000 sold[1]
* 1994: 90,000[1]
* 1995: 24,000[1]
* 1996: 6,000[1]
* The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall: 700,000 sold[2]
* The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: 4 million sold[3]
* The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: 9.5 million sold [4]
* The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: 30 million sold [5]
* The Elder Scrolls Online: 15 million sold [6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Gussin, Lawrence (November 1996). "The consumer title publishing business". CD-ROM Professional. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024 - via Gale Research.
2. ^ Manveer "Eidolon" Heir (July 18, 2000). "Interview with Pete Hines". Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
3. ^ "Lynda Carter Joins the Voice Cast of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion". Bethesda Softworks. August 17, 2005. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
4. ^ Kollar, Philip (November 10, 2015). "Fallout 4 could be a bigger hit than Skyrim". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
5. ^ "'Skyrim' Creator Todd Howard Talks Switch, VR and Elder Scrolls Wait". Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
6. ^ Hines, Pete [@DCDeacon] (January 10, 2020). "More than 15 million people have bought ESO" (Tweet). Retrieved January 10, 2020 - via Twitter.)
7. ^ a b c The evolution of The Elder Scrolls. Archived December 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. PC Gamer.
8. ^ a b c d e f Blancato, Joe (February 6, 2007). "Bethesda: The Right Direction". The Escapist. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
9. ^ a b "Game Browser: Bethesda Softworks LLC". MobyGames. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Ted Peterson Interview I". Morrowind Italia. April 9, 2001. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
11. ^ a b c d e f "Arena - Behind the Scenes". The Elder Scrolls 10th Anniversary. Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
12. ^ a b c d Barton, Matt (April 11, 2007). "The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994–2004)". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
13. ^ a b c "Daggerfall - Behind the Scenes". The Elder Scrolls 10th Anniversary. Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
14. ^ "Daggerfall". Next Generation Magazine (11): 82–5\. November 1995.
15. ^ "Bethesda Softworks Announces the Release of The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall". PR Newswire. September 27, 1996. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024 - via Gale Research.
16. ^ "Battlespire". Next Generation Magazine (34): 124–5\. October 1997.
17. ^ a b "Battlespire - Behind the Scenes". The Elder Scrolls 10th Anniversary. Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
18. ^ "Battlespire release dates". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
19. ^ "Redguard release dates". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
20. ^ a b "Redguard - Behind the Scenes". The Elder Scrolls 10th Anniversary. Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on May 19, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
21. ^ a b c "Morrowind, Behind the Scenes". Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved November 22, 2006.
22. ^ Qwerty (July 2001). "Interview with Morrowind Developers". The Interviews. Game. EXE. Reprinted in The Imperial Library. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
23. ^ IGN Staff (October 27, 2000). "Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Interview 2". IGN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
24. ^ "Development Team Chat No. 1". VoodooExtreme. July 19, 2000. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2006.
25. ^ Ultimate (July 9, 2001). "Ted Peterson Interview II". Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
26. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for PC goes gold". Bethesda Softworks. April 23, 2002. Archived from the original on August 12, 2002. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
27. ^ Walker, Trey (April 23, 2002). "Morrowind goes gold". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
28. ^ "PC release dates". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved September 30, 2006.
29. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for Xbox headed to stores". Bethesda Softworks. June 4, 2002. Archived from the original on August 4, 2002. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
30. ^ "Ubi Soft signs major publishing contract with Bethesda Softworks to distribute multiple titles in Europe". Bethesda Softworks. January 3, 2002. Archived from the original on March 17, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
31. ^ a b Parker, Sam (September 6, 2002). "Tribunal to expand world of Morrowind". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
32. ^ McNewserson, Newsey (November 8, 2002). "Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Ships". IGN. Archived from the original on May 22, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
33. ^ "Tribunal release dates". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
34. ^ a b Staff (October 11, 2002). "The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Q&A". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
35. ^ Abner, William (December 8, 2002). "Morrowind: Tribunal Review, page 1". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2006.
Brenesal, Barry (December 9, 2002). "Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Review, page 1". IGN. Archived from the original on August 4, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2006.
Desslock (November 21, 2002). "Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Review, page 2". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
36. ^ Parker, Sam (May 23, 2003). "Morrowind expansion goes gold". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
37. ^ "Bloodmoon release dates". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
38. ^ Staff (May 30, 2003). "The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon Q&A". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
39. ^ Liebl, Matt (October 26, 2011). "The Graphical Advancements of Skyrim: A Comparison to Oblivion". GameZone. GameZone Online. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
40. ^ Thorsen, Tor (September 10, 2004). "Elder Scrolls IV coming to PC, next-gen". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
41. ^ "Bethesda Softworks Signs Co-Publishing Agreement with Take-Two Interactive for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion". Bethesda Softworks. February 3, 2005. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
42. ^ Thorsen, Tor (February 3, 2005). "Take-Two to copublish Elder Scrolls IV, Cthulhu". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
43. ^ Thorsen, Tor (October 31, 2005). "Elder Scrolls IV missing Xbox 360 launch". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
Valerias (December 10, 2005). "Oblivion: Release Date Dramas". GameSpy. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
44. ^ Howard, Todd. "The RPG for the Next Generation". Bethesda Softworks. Archived from the original on March 20, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
45. ^ Stargleman (May 29, 2005). "E3 2005 Coverage: Gavin Carter". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
46. ^ Callaham, John (September 26, 2005). "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Interview". Gamecloud. Archived from the original on November 3, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
47. ^ Houghton, Mat. "Developers Corner: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion". Game Chronicles. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2007.
48. ^ Husemann, Charles (June 2, 2005). "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Interview". Gaming Nexus. Archived from the original on August 16, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2007.
49. ^ Shuman, Sid (May 23, 2006). "Living in Oblivion". Games.Net. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
50. ^ Hammond, Alex (March 25, 2005). "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Interview". Gameplay Monthly. Archived from the original on February 12, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
51. ^ "Oblivion interview - Gavin Carter of Bethesda". Elite Bastards. October 20, 2005. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
52. ^ dela Fuente, Derek (July 20, 2005). "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Q&A". TVG. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
53. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Interview with Gavin Carter". RPGamer. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
54. ^ Berry, Noah. "A Brief History of Cyrodiil". Bethesda Softworks. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
55. ^ "PS3 Oblivion Shelved Till Next Year". 1Up.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
56. ^ IGN (March 27, 2007). "The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles". IGN.
57. ^ Tom Branwell (August 16, 2010). "Bethesda's Todd Howard (interview)". www.eurogamer.net. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
58. ^ Wesley Yin-Poole (November 23, 2010). "Rumour: Elder Scrolls 5 in the works". www.eurogamer.net. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010.
59. ^ Kristian West (November 22, 2010). "The Elder Scrolls V på vej". www.eurogamer.dk (in Danish). Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010.
60. ^ David Hughes (December 12, 2010). "Bethesda unveils Elder Scrolls V, confirms direct sequel to Oblivion". www.huliq.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
61. ^ "PC Game of the Year". IGN. December 18, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012.
62. ^ "2011 Spike Video Game Awards: Complete Winners List". Game Rant. December 11, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013.
63. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn on Steam". Archived from the original on March 22, 2015.
64. ^ Coppock, Mark (December 6, 2016). "Now you can play pinball versions of Doom, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls". DigitalTrends. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
65. ^ Fahey, Mike (August 17, 2017). "Pinball FX 3 Is All About Cross-Platform Competition". Kotaku. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
66. ^ BarbieBobomb (December 6, 2016). "Bethesda and Zen Studios Team Up for an Epic Pinball Pack". Zen Studios. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
67. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR". PlayStation.
68. ^ Hall, Charlie (June 11, 2018). "How to play Skyrim for Alexa on your iPhone or Android device". Polygon.
69. ^ Wood, Austin (June 28, 2021). "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate quietly adds Skyrim's Dragonborn to tomorrow's big update". Games Radar. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
70. ^ Dyer, Mitch (December 11, 2013). "The Elder Scrolls Online PC and Mac, Xbox One, and PS4 Release Dates Announced - IGN". IGN. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
71. ^ Stephany Nunneley (January 21, 2015). "The Elder Scrolls Online drops subs, console release date announced". VG247. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
72. ^ "The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited FAQ". The Elder Scrolls Online. ZeniMax. January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
73. ^ Grayson, Nathan. "The Elder Scrolls Blades Announced For Phones". Kotaku. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
74. ^ "The next Elder Scrolls game is a beautiful mobile RPG named Blades". The Verge. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
75. ^ Hall, Charlie (November 29, 2018). "Bethesda delays The Elder Scrolls: Blades into 2019". Polygon.
76. ^ "The Elder Scrolls: Blades Review | Switch Player". May 21, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
77. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (September 29, 2023). "Surprise, Bethesda Just Released A New Elder Scrolls Game". Kotaku. G/O Media. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
78. ^ The Elder Scrolls VI – Official Announcement Teaser, June 10, 2018, retrieved September 1, 2023
79. ^ "Todd Howard Seems To Think Bethesda Announced The Elder Scrolls VI Too Early". Kotaku. August 24, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
80. ^ Tassi, Paul (August 18, 2022). "Xbox's Phil Spencer Indicates Whether 'Elder Scrolls 6' Or 'Fable 4' Will Be Out First". Forbes.
81. ^ Rose, Alan (November 3, 2006). "Neverwinter Nights 2, Metareview". Joystiq. Archived from the original on November 5, 2006.
82. ^ "Arena, Behind the Scenes". The Elder Scrolls Tenth Anniversary. Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007.
83. ^ (1996) Bethesda Softworks Daggerfall Instruction Manual Bethesda Softworks, 1–2.
84. ^ "Morrowind, Behind the Scenes". The Elder Scrolls Tenth Anniversary. Bethesda Softworks. 2004. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006.
85. ^ Hurley, Mary Kate (2019). American/Medieval Goes North: Earth and Water in Transit. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 9783847009528.
86. ^ Chan, Khee Hoon (November 26, 2019). "The battle to control what's fact and fiction in The Elder Scrolls' lore". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
87. ^ a b Kane, Alex (March 27, 2019). "Morrowind: An oral history". Polygon. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
88. ^ "The Elder Scrolls Crazy Lore Breaks All The Traditional Fantasy Rules - Here's How". ScreenRant. March 14, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
89. ^ Peterson, Ted (April 19, 2019). "The Elder Scrolls at 25: How I Created Bethesda's Legendary RPG Series". The Escapist. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
90. ^ Anthony, Jason (2014). "Dreidels to Dante's Inferno". Playing with Religion in Digital Games. Indiana University Press. p. 40\. ISBN 978-0-253-01263-0.
91. ^ Macgregor, Jody (August 27, 2018). "Major events in the Elder Scrolls timeline". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
92. ^ Everett, Larry (November 1, 2013). "Tamriel Infinium: What you need to know about Daedra in The Elder Scrolls Online". Engadget. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
93. ^ Burgar, Charles (March 12, 2020). "The Elder Scrolls: 15 Crazy Facts You Didn't Know About The Franchise". TheGamer.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
94. ^ Miller, Matt (December 26, 2010). "Decrypting The Elder Scrolls". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
95. ^ Tapsell, Chris (June 4, 2019). "Elder Scrolls 6 location predictions - where we think the new Elder Scrolls is set and everything else we know". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
96. ^ "The Elder Scrolls: The Races of Tamriel". CBR. November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
97. ^ Bethesda Game Studios (April 30, 2007). The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (1.2.0416 ed.). Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games.
98. ^ Bethesda Game Studios. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda Softworks.
99. ^ Bethesda Game Studios. The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard. Bethesda Softworks.
100. ^ Skrebels, Joe (June 13, 2016). "E3 2016: Bethesda Is Working on The Elder Scrolls 6". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
101. ^ Brown, Fraser (June 13, 2017). "The Elder Scrolls 6 isn't in development". PC Gamer. Future US. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
102. ^ Jun 12, Wesley (June 12, 2023). "Elder Scrolls 6: Todd Howard Admits Upcoming Sequel Could Be His Last Elder Scrolls". IGN.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
103. ^ "Bethesda announces The Elder Scrolls 6". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
104. ^ "The Elder Scrolls: Arena Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
105. ^ "The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
106. ^ "An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
107. ^ "The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
108. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
109. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
110. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
111. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
112. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
113. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
114. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
115. ^ "The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
116. ^ "The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
117. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
118. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
119. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
120. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
121. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
122. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
123. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
124. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
125. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
126. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
127. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
128. ^ "The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
129. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
130. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
131. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
132. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
133. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
134. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
135. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
136. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
137. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
138. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
139. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
140. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
141. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
142. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
143. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
144. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
145. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
146. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
147. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
148. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
149. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
150. ^ "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
151. ^ "The Elder Scrolls Online Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
152. ^ "The Elder Scrolls Online Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
153. ^ "The Elder Scrolls: Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
154. ^ "The Elder Scrolls: Legends Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
155. ^ "The Elder Scrolls: Legends Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
156. ^ Elton Jones (September 25, 2012). "The Elder Scrolls - The 50 Best Video Game Franchises - Complex". Complex. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012.
157. ^ "Greatest Game Series of the Decade winner: The Elder Scrolls". GameSpot. September 30, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
158. ^ Elder Scrolls voted game series of the decade (September 12, 2013). "Elder Scrolls voted game series of the decade". Attack of the Fanboy. Archived from the original on November 23, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
159. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (May 3, 2006). "Oblivion rerated M for Mature". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
160. ^ Gilbert, Ben. "Minecraft studio threatened with suit by Bethesda over 'Scrolls' title". Engadget. Verizon Media. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012.
161. ^ Conditt, Jessica (March 12, 2012). "Mojang can't use 'Scrolls' in any sequels to 'Scrolls,' lawsuit dictates". Engadget. Verizon Media. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
162. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (May 8, 2019). "Bethesda's latest Elder Scrolls adventure taken down amid cries of plagiarism". Ars Technica.
163. ^ "Bethesda Removes Tabletop Adventure Amid Plagiarism Allegations - Plagiarism Today". May 9, 2019.
164. ^ "Bethesda Pulls Free Elder Scrolls Tabletop RPG That Ripped Off A D&D Module". Kotaku. May 8, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Elder Scrolls.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

The Elder Scrolls series

List of The Elder Scrolls video games

Main series|

* Arena
* II: Daggerfall
* III: Morrowind
* Tribunal
* Bloodmoon
* IV: Oblivion
* Knights of the Nine
* Shivering Isles
* Remastered
* V: Skyrim
* Dawnguard
* Hearthfire
* Dragonborn
* Creation Club
* VI

Spin-offs|

* Battlespire
* Redguard
* Travels
* Shadowkey
* Online
* Legends
* Blades
* Castles

Novels|

* The Infernal City
* Lord of Souls

Mods|

* Tamriel Rebuilt
* Nehrim: At Fate's Edge
* Skyrim modding
* Enderal
* The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project
* Skywind
* Skyblivion
* The Forgotten City

People|

* Julian LeFay
* Todd Howard
* Jeremy Soule

Companies|

* Bethesda Softworks
* Bethesda Game Studios
* ZeniMax Online Studios

Related|

* Development of Oblivion
* The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Original Game Soundtrack
* "Dragonborn"
* Arrow in the knee
* OpenMW

* Category

* v
* t
* e

ZeniMax Media

A subsidiary of Microsoft Gaming

Founders|

* Robert A. Altman
* Christopher Weaver

Publisher|

* Bethesda Softworks

Studios|

* Arkane Studios
* Bethesda Game Studios
* id Software
* MachineGames
* ZeniMax Online Studios

Former studios|

* Alpha Dog Games
* Arkane Austin
* Flashpoint Productions
* Tango Gameworks
* Roundhouse Studios

Franchises|

* Commander Keen
* Dishonored
* Doom
* The Elder Scrolls
* The Evil Within
* Fallout
* IHRA Drag Racing
* Prey
* Quake
* Rage
* Starfield
* Wolfenstein

Category

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Other|

* MusicBrainz series

*[TBA]: To be announced
*[c.]: circa
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template