Bethesda interview details Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I wiled away more hours treading over Vanderfall’s terra-cotta deserts and enormous mushroom studded marshes in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind than in the any other game before or since.  Swapping out the environments that so easily captured my imagination with the more predictable woodlands of Oblivion kept the sequel from the same feat, despite its blatant gameplay superiority.

Shedding some light on whether Skyrim shares more with its older or younger sibling is this fan interview with three of its creators: Todd Howard (Director), Bruce Nesmith (Lead Designer) and Matt Carofano (Lead Artist).

Howard and Nesmith get the dragon’s share, with Elder Scrolls enthusiasts most interested in monster encounters and quest and character progression. Honestly I was sold on Skyrim’s ‘enchantment’ factor as a game world when I saw a herd of mammoths shepherded by giants, so it’s forgivable that the game’s other visual set-pieces remain unspoiled. Elder Scrolls V is revealed to have more common mechanical ground with Oblivion: there won’t be spears, infinitely divisible armour sets, or the levitate spell. The creators give really good reasons for each decision though, and it’s great to know that Skyrim should have piles of personality as well as robust gameplay.

To read the comprehensive Q&A click here and check out the screenshot gallery below.