Elder Scrolls Online developer working on new IP
The developer behind the popular Elder Scrolls Online MMO has seemingly confirmed it’s working on an all-new IP in an interview on a podcast.
Zenimax Online creative director Ben Jones has seemingly confirmed the studio behind popular MMO Elder Scrolls Online is working on a brand-new IP.
In a podcast from the Product Builders Podcast, which interviewed Jones in late October, the developer revealed that he was working with a team of about 200 people who are working on the next IP from Zenimax Online. Jones says the new IP has been in the works for four and a half years, with 50 people in his immediate team.
“We’re primarily known for Elder Scrolls Online, which is an extension of the very well-established Elder Scrolls Universe … but I’m driving an independent team working on a new intellectual property and I’ve been doing that for about four and a half years,” he said.
“This is a very large scope project so a lot of that manifests day-to-day in terms of maintaining communications.”
Rumours have been swirling about a new IP at Zenimax Online for some years now, with prior job listings showing the company hiring for positions that suggest a new IP is in the works. A recent listing for a Lead Quest Designer position says that joining the studio would lead to a chance to “join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP”. (Thanks, TheGamer!)
Zenimax Online Studios is owned by Zenimax Media, which also owns Bethesda, and is itself owned by Microsoft after a $7.5 billion (about $A11 billion) acquisition in 2020. The deal included ownership of a number of IPs, such as The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, and Wolfenstein, all of which have been immensely popular for decades.
Microsoft is also in the process of acquiring another major publisher, Activision Blizzard, in a $100 billion deal that’s facing an in-depth investigation from the European Commission. The investigation recently entered its second phase, as the deal is also under investigation from anti-competition regulators around the world.
While much of the public discussion of the deal has been about Call of Duty and its position on the competing console, Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft says the deal is not all about Call of Duty. Instead, the company wants to leverage Activision Blizzard’s mobile assets, which includes Candy Crush developer King, to expand its reach with the Xbox brand.
Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.
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