Elder Scrolls Online Screenshots, Art Look Nothing Like Skyrim

A huge collection of Elder Scrolls Online images leaked onto the Internet today. Though the MMO is supposed to be set in the same world as Skyrim and Morrowind but you wouldn't know it from these visuals.

The single-player Elder Scrolls games were limited to one province apiece. However, ESO lets players explore all (or at least most) of Tamriel. If any of the locations in the screenshots or concept art (via AGB) look unfamiliar, it's probably because that particular locale was never featured in the series before.

The other reason why the ESO shots might seem "off" is that the game doesn't use the same engine as Skyrim or previous games. It's powered by the Hero Engine, the same third-party tech used by BioWare for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Familiar Elder Scrolls elements, like atronachs, are still identifiable in spite of the different graphics engines though.

Lastly, it's worth keeping in mind that ESO is set centuries before the events of any of the single-player games. This gives the developers a bit more artistic freedom in designing the look of the world.

Elder Scrolls Online is slated for a 2013 launch on the PC and Mac. It's being developed by ZeniMax Online Studios, sister company to Bethesda Softworks.

Pete Haas

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.