It wasn’t that long ago that many considered real-time strategy to be a dying genre. 90s staples likeAge of Empires,Command & Conquer, andStarCrafthad seemingly petered out, whileWorld of Warcraftmade a sharp turn away from the series' strategy roots. However, the RTS genre now appears to be experiencing an attempted renaissance that could eventually impact non-RTS franchises likeThe Elder Scrolls. The last few years sawCommand & Conquer: RemasteredandAge of Empires 4. Meanwhile,Company of Heroes 3,Homeworld 3,Sins of a Solar Empire 2, andnew IPs likeTempest Risingare set to launch over the next few years.
It’s far too soon to say if any of these games will prove successful. However, if a studio is thinking about launching its ownreal-time strategy games, now seems like a good time to do it. One unlikely candidate might be Bethesda’sThe Elder Scrollsfranchise, whose setting could make for a fantastic real-time strategy game.
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What an Elder Scrolls RTS Would Look Like
The notion ofThe Elder Scrollsas an RTS might seem strange, and it is worth clarifying that no one is saying thatThe Elder Scrolls 6should be a strategy game. However, a strategy spinoff isn’t as out there as it may sound. One of the most popular mods for Paradox Interactive’sCrusader Kings 2was anElder Scrolls-themed total conversion calledElder Kings, with the same team developing a similar mod forCrusader Kings 3. Meanwhile, 2021 saw fans release theElder Scrolls: Total War Modfor Creative Assembly’sMedieval 2: Total War. LikeElder Kings, it’s a Total conversion mod that brings RTS gameplay to the land of Tamriel.
Of course, a potentialElder ScrollsRTS won’t necessarily look like either mod, if for no other reason than both already exist. However, there is clearly an untapped market for strategy games in theElder Scrollsuniverse. There is also plenty of room for anElder Scrollsspinoff along the lines ofRTS games likeStarCraft,Command & ConquerorAge of Empires.
That doesn’t mean the game would just be a reskin ofAge of Empires 4, since one can’t underestimate the importance of magic in a hypotheticalElder ScrollsRTS. There’s also long been something of a disconnect between magic inThe Elder Scrollslore compared to the games, and an RTS game could take advantage of the great power mages are supposed to have. Spells could buff units with wards and stat bonuses, summon Daedra and undead to cause havoc behind enemy lines, or simply unleash fire and lightning to devastate enemy ranks. A magic system like this would also add an extra gameplay element that relatively few RTS games have.
An RTS in The Elder Scrolls Setting
The Elder Scrolls' setting is also particularly well-suited for a real-time strategy game, as Tamriel’s history is full of epic clashes between hundreds or thousands of warriors. However, asSkyrim’s Civil War questline shows,Bethesda RPGsaren’t well suited to depict massive clashes between entire armies. This is partly due to engine limitations and partly because the games focus on the adventures of a single hero instead of whole kingdoms.
In contrast, anElder Scrolls RTSwould let fans play through major events the main series might not be able to do justice to. For example, players could take the role of Reman or Talos leading their armies across Tamriel or battle for supremacy as one of the Colovian warlords inthe chaotic aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis.The Elder Scrolls Onlineintroduces a continent-spanning war to control the Empire, and an RTS could offer an excellent opportunity to flesh out more of that conflict.
This would also be an excellent way for Bethesda to depict the events of the Second Great War.Skyrimheavily implied that a final confrontation between the Empire and the Dominion was inevitable. General Tullius practically says as much, and documents in the Thalmor Embassy arguably imply the same. However, a Bethesda RPG probably isn’t the best choice for depicting a continent-spanning war. On the other hand, a real-time strategy game would be a great way to depict the epic battles and sieges that such a conflict would entail.
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Potential Elder Scrolls RTS Developers
An RTS spinoff isn’t going to scratch anyone’s itch forTES6, and fans would probably prefer Bethesda focus on developing an action RPG rather than experimenting with new genres. However, if Bethesda was going to commit to anElder ScrollsRTS, it probably wouldn’t be the same team that makes the RPGs. Of course, the publisher could establish a new studio to develop anElder ScrollsRTS. However, its best bet might be to contract a studio that’s more experienced with the genre, as Microsoft did withHalo WarsandHalo Wars 2.
As for who should develop the hypotheticalElder Scrolls Wars, Relic Entertainment seems like a natural choice. The studio has over two decades of RTS experience,most recently includingAge of Empires 4, which won Best Sim/Strategy Game at the 2021 Game Awards. Incidentally, Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax Media tried to buy Relic Entertainment during THQ’s bankruptcy in 2012 but was outbid by Sega. The studio is presently preoccupied with developingCompany of Heroes3. Still, Relic seems like a natural choice for anElder ScrollsRTS designed in the mold ofAge of EmpiresorCommand & Conquer.
Relic’s sister studio Creative Assembly also seems like a good candidate. TheTotal War: Warhammertrilogywas a big success, and theMedieval 2mod shows there is at least some interest in a potentialTotal War: Elder Scrolls. Creative Assembly has also developed more conventional real-time strategy games such asHalo Wars 2,and Microsoft is demonstrably comfortable partnering with Sega subsidiaries to develop their RTS franchises. So, there is no reason it couldn’t happen again.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
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