Elder Scrolls fatigue
The are gamers out there who really eat up everything Skyrim has to offer, and they're ready for more. Suffice it to say that for those folks, Dawnguard couldn't come soon enough. But there are also gamers out there who, after several hundred hours with the game, are just ready to take a break from the series. Some of them probably won't even play Dawnguard, and those who do may suffer from some serious Elder Scrolls fatigue.
Now, before you judge me as some games writer who just wants to find flaws in the nearly perfect experience that is Skyrim, it should be noted that gamers do get tired of certain games, even if they adore them. I can't mention the number of times I played a game that was outstanding, only to feel like it dragged on a bit toward the end. It happens, and that's not a reflection of the game's quality; just it's length. And in case you're unaware of this, Skyrim is freakin' long.
How will the gameplay translate into an MMO title?
Questing with other warriors makes this dude 98 percent less badass.
Skyrim succeeded because it gave gamers a proper experience with captivating single-player gameplay. How the heck is that gameplay going to work in an MMO? The thing about Skyrim is that it didn't need any type of online multiplayer component. Its world was so expansive, and every inch of it was rife with things to do. When you weren't taking on quests or exploring dungeons, you were traversing the scenic land, which had its own fair share of secrets and enemies to discover.
Skyrim players were free to explore on their own at the pace they wished to. With a group of party members, I can't imagine just how bad the miscommunication will get, and I don't see players following any specific orders, because if Skyrim taught us anything, it's that the best way to play certain games is to just let go.
And yes, I'm well aware that Elder Scrolls Online will feature a solo story mode, but let's take a look at that little feature, shall we?
Why the f*ck is there a single-player campaign?!
Instead of including a solo campaign in Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda and Zenimax could have just as easily started work on the next main entry in the series. Yes, I get that some players would rather experience daunting boss battles without other random players just showing up, but at the same time, a single-player story mode does nothing to enhance an MMO. Take into account that Elder Scrolls Online will feature a subscription fee, and fans of the series are basically being asked to pay extra just to play something that they could have easily put down a flat fee to experience and enjoy. It's really kind of stupid when you think about it.
Humans are skeptical by nature
This picture has nothing to do with this post. I just really like Max Payne 3.
Seriously, people, we're p*ssies. We're afraid of new things that we don't understand, and we don't like the unfamiliar. As skeptics, we question anything and everything. Hell, the amount of skepticism and cynicism in this article alone is enough to flood Skyrim. Already gamers seem to have reacted quite negatively to Elder Scrolls Online, and we don't even know that much about it. I can only imagine how everyone will react when Bethesda releases some major details on the game.
If Dark Souls ate Skyrim's face, what will it do to Elder Scrolls Online?
Remember that goofy article about how Dark Souls would eat Skyrim's face? To this day, that statement still makes me chuckle. Not because I don't like Dark Souls (because that's definitely not the case), but because it's just a hilarious thing to say. Funnily enough, there are plenty of gamers out there who prefer Dark Souls over Skyrim. The main arguments are based around the two games' combat. Where Skyrim has you doing a lot of the same things to best your foes, Dark Souls features some of the smartest enemy AI and attack patterns ever.
With so many other RPG experiences out there, Dark Souls included, it's hard to imagine anyone really jumping at the chance to pay to play Elder Scrolls Online. Will the game fail? It's impossible to say at this point, but given the lukewarm reaction it's already received, it's hard to see it going very far.
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People love MMOs. It's a genre that appeals to gamers casual and hardcore, and oftentimes these games even manage to get the attention of individuals who don't even care for video games at all. So that's why it would seem that an MMO based on the universe of The Elder Scrolls would be a no-brainer … except it's not. When you really think about it, The Elder Scrolls Online is kind of unnecessary for, like, 23 reasons. Here's a list of the top 10 (because 23 is a weird number for a top list).
People are still playing Skyrim
Like so many other gamers, I've invested several hours into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Despite the fact that it seems as though I've dug deep into the experience, I know I've just barely scratched the surface of what that game has to offer. Are Skyrim fans really going to jump at the opportunity to play Elder Scrolls Online when they've still got so much left to uncover, explore, and experience in the beautiful land that Bethesda crafted for them? Probably not.
No one seems to care
This guy doesn't care about The Elder Scrolls Online.
I personally have not met anyone who's stoked about playing Elder Scrolls Online. And while I'm well aware that that's just within my personal social bubble, I also haven't read any blogs, forum posts, or articles where the authors stated that they were particularly looking forward to the upcoming MMO. While Bethesda's ambitions are certainly respectable, it doesn't seem as though anyone really cares to play an Elder Scrolls MMO..
I'm certain there are a handful of gamers out there who really want to check out Elder Scrolls Online, and that's cool for those three individuals. Ask yourselves something: Do you or many of the people you know really want to invest the time into an Elder Scrolls MMO?
The genre is oversaturated
The color in this picture is oversaturated, just like the MMO genre.
People always say the first-person shooter genre is too saturated with games for new IPs to succeed. While there's certainly truth behind that statement, if there's one genre that whores itself more, it's the MMO. Because a lot of these games are free to play and offer micro-transactions, we constantly see new entries in the genre popping up, even more so than FPS games. People everywhere are constantly talking about how they play a random MMO because it's free, or how they like to quest with people they meet in the online game they're currently playing. And if those stupid prepaid MMO cards that you see at Target and GameStop are any indication, it's obvious there are already an ass-load of free-to-play MMOs.
Elder Scrolls Online is entering an overly saturated genre, and while it does have credibility in its name, that doesn't mean much if everyone who digs MMOs is already playing one of the countless other titles that we see constantly popping up online.
MMO fans don't want to pay for yet another subscription
Are you an MMO fan? Do you enjoy free-to-play MMOs that you can sink time into and invest small increments of cash in? Or are you perhaps a World of Warcraft player? Do you shell out the cash for the monthly subscription fee? If so, why the heck would you want to start investing in yet another MMO, especially if it means it will cut into your time with the other game you're playing? Think about all of the time MMO fans spend leveling up their characters, joining communities, and questing. I highly doubt people who are already engaged in an MMO experience will care to pay for another one.
Dawnguard is still a thing, remember?
If you've already done everything Skyrim has to offer and you've got a hankering for more Elder Scrolls goodness, you've still got Dawnguard to look forward to. While details are scarce on what exactly the upcoming Skyrim DLC will entail, it's more than likely that it will be a nice pile of even more gameplay content to keep gamers questing and exploring. I doubt Bethesda would make such a big deal over DLC if it was just going to add weapons, characters, and items to the game. No, this DLC is the real deal, and it's going to add loads more to do in the amazing world of Skyrim.
And with Dawnguard due out this summer, gamers will get that Elder Scrolls fix fairly soon. And that brings me to my next point …
