Bethesda Game Studios and Zenimax Online

Lord_Eomer · July 2016

As Bethesda Game Studios was behind development success of Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim.

Is Zenimax Studio working as solo team or in cooperation with Bethesda Game Studios?

Sometime ESO forum is full of complaints, issues and unbalance contents issues. Which is pretty much a challenge for developers.

I hope Zenimax teams cosults with Bethesda Game Studios, as they did Superior job in handling previously Elder Scrolls franchise.

I was a big fan of Gothic RPG, which was screwed wirh Gothic 3 release because Joowood publisher considers to change developer and they screwed badly with lore and game stability.

I am not sure even Zenimax teams consider forum feedback. I can see overwhelmed feedback on forum regarding next update but I am afraid if developers will even consider anything and simply rollout update as per their plan.

Similary like it was done for previous update, when all community was complaining regarding Sorcerer Shield Nerf! and developers did not care and acted as per their plan.

Elsonso · July 2016

ZOS is independent from BGS, but they did consult with them, and apparently still do, at least on big issues.

Lord_Eomer · July 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

ZOS is independent from BGS, but they did consult with them, and apparently still do, at least on big issues.

I hope they consult with BGS, as they handled previously very well Elder Scrolls..

Forestd16b14_ESO · July 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

ZOS is independent from BGS, but they did consult with them, and apparently still do, at least on big issues.

HA HA HA HA HA HA ZoS still ask BGS about stuff ? Yea maybe back in ESOs beta. If ZoS still asked for BGS help the game wouldn't be in the mess it currently is in now.

Orlacc · July 2016

Zenimax owns Bethesda as well as ZOS. Of course they interact. And the game is not in a mess. Many players are though it seems.

thawks · July 2016

ZOS' writers discuss story, themes, and lore with the writers over at Bethesda for corrections and validation. Other than that, no clue.

vyndral13preub18_ESO · July 2016

Im not sure it would help. For example the one semi specific issue you site unbalance comtent... Im not even sure what that really means, but im taking a stab and think you mean regular pve content?

Anything other then single player content is something Beth has had no experience with in A ES game. And really the single player play through is the one thing most people seem to enjoy in ESO.

The unbalance most the forum complains about shows up in group content and pvp something Beth has never touched in an ES game before. So Im not really sure what experience they could share.

Lord_Eomer · July 2016

thawks wrote: »

ZOS' writers discuss story, themes, and lore with the writers over at Bethesda for corrections and validation. Other than that, no clue.

But DLC are looking like comming from no were..

less focused on region story contents like Morrowind or Skyrim DLc were.

Lord_Eomer · July 2016

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

Im not sure it would help. For example the one semi specific issue you site unbalance comtent... Im not even sure what that really means, but im taking a stab and think you mean regular pve content?

Anything other then single player content is sometging Beth has had no experience with in A ES game. And really the single player play through is the one thing most people seem to enjoy.

The unbalance most the forum complains about shows up in group content and pvp something Beth has never touched in an ESO game before. Some im not really sure what experience they could share.

They managed not just one game but successfully many game installments with DLC. Definitely they knew lore well and drove story and RPG elements well for a successful series.

There were more skills, better racial pasives mayxhing lore but ZOS just limited them and little bit messed.

Unbalance contents majorly mean Class Unbalance, which I usually see threads on forum I.e. Stamina NB are very strong comparing Magicka DK etc. Sorcerer are weaker in PVP nos etc. Now also players asking about Racial Pasive unbalance I..e. Argonian Pasives over more magicka vs Healing or they did not match as per lore. They suppose to be really night blades..

DLC releases with regions but no story content as per this region history, we are seeing some guild from no where like thieve guild or dark brotherhood with worst quest/story contents

Korah_Eaglecry · July 2016

lordrichter wrote: »

ZOS is independent from BGS, but they did consult with them, and apparently still do, at least on big issues.

Theyre under the same parent company.

Lord_Eomer · July 2016

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

ZOS is independent from BGS, but they did consult with them, and apparently still do, at least on big issues.

Theyre under the same parent company.

Yea they are but different teams.

olivesforge · July 2016

Lord_Dexter wrote: »

Korah_Eaglecry wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

ZOS is independent from BGS, but they did consult with them, and apparently still do, at least on big issues.

Theyre under the same parent company.

Yea they are but different teams.

Yeah, but that doesn't mean that there is an impenetrable barrier between the two teams. Zenimax took this on as a whole company because Bethesda itself didn't have any real capability on multiplayer. Everyone rightfully forgets Bethesda's first foray into multiplayer - the disastrous Star Trek: Legacy.

I imagine that the crew that did Skyrim at Bethesda split generally into the single-player mechanics/coding team for what would be Fallout 4, and the art department ran over to ESO. It's not like Zenimax has one ESO art department while Bethesda has another more experienced group one floor below eating bonbons.

People are imagining a level of separation that doesn't exist. Usually it's PvE'rs who want somebody who is not Bethesda to blame for having to see other people in-game, and PvP'ers who want to forget Bethesda's long history of creative bugs and blame everything on someone totally separate.

Elsonso · July 2016

olivesforge wrote: »

Yeah, but that doesn't mean that there is an impenetrable barrier between the two teams. Zenimax took this on as a whole company because Bethesda itself didn't have any real capability on multiplayer.

Ultimately, I think that the reason ZM created ZOS to do MMO games was that Bethesda already has a studio and they wanted to keep that studio focused on single player games and expand them into apps.

olivesforge wrote: »

Everyone rightfully forgets Bethesda's first foray into multiplayer - the disastrous Star Trek: Legacy.

True, but Bethesda (Softworks) was just the publisher. Mad Doc Software, now part of Rockstar, was the company that did the game. As far as I know, they don't make games anymore.

olivesforge wrote: »

I imagine that the crew that did Skyrim at Bethesda split generally into the single-player mechanics/coding team for what would be Fallout 4, and the art department ran over to ESO. It's not like Zenimax has one ESO art department while Bethesda has another more experienced group one floor below eating bonbons.

ZOS was an entirely new team with new management and developers. They started from scratch, working out of Firor's minivan while his mom cooked food for them. Rumor has it that Gina was ZOS employee #7 and actually built the building they are in today out of milk cartons and discarded soda cans.

You get the point.

I think that the BGS artists pretty much stayed at BGS. There may have been a few people who moved over as a career advancement, but BGS has things to do and they can't afford to let ZOS gut their team. Keep in mind that ESO started after Oblivion. Since ZOS started making ESO, BGS finished Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Fallout 4. They have also been busy with the remastered Skyrim, and who knows what other projects that we have yet to see. That is what the BGS art department has been working on all this time.

Certainly, the ZOS team had access to all of the art, concept drawings, and other assets from the prior Elder Scrolls games, and obviously had a peek at Skyrim, long before we did.

It should be noted that Lurker-In-Chief, Rich Lambert, came to ESO after Oblivion, which was certainly a good career move for him.