Elder Scrolls MMO Rumors Gain Slight Credence

After Bethesda-parent ZeniMax revealed it had secured $300 million to fund massively multiplayer online games," among other things, the internet was once again rife with speculation that an MMO set in the popular Elder Scrolls universe was on the way. It was a familiar tune for some, given that ZeniMax had recently announced it was opening an MMO division and recruited former Mythic Entertainment executive producer Matt Frior to head it up. The latest piece of evidence pointing to an online Elder Scrolls game comes from Voodoo Extreme. The site reports that ZeniMax recently acquired the domain name ElderScrollsOnline.com. It could be a simple matter of the company attempting to circumvent domain squatting, but it at least indicates that ZeniMax is thinking about such a game. No system has been indicated for the MMO project, though a PC version is assumed as it is the main platform for MMOs. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions are possible as well, as ZeniMax's last major game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from Bethesda, was well-received on both systems, with its next big title, Fallout 3, being developed for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as well. Looking at the popular franchises held by ZeniMax that could be used in an MMO, the pickings are slim outside of Elder Scrolls, unless the company opts to create an entirely new property or license one. Subsidiary Bethesda owns the rights to Fallout, however, an MMO set in that universe is already being developed by Interplay, and is planned for a 2010 launch.