Our Xbox Game Studios Spotlight this week is looking at ZeniMax Online Studios, a developer with only one title in its portfolio: The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, and two games that it helped with. We’re looking at the studio’s early history, new projects, and the latest news — and ranking, of course.ZeniMax Online OverviewZeniMax Online Studios was founded in 2007 under parent company ZeniMax Media, with ex Mythic Entertainment and veteran MMO game designer, Matt Firor, at the helm. Firor’s experience with Mass Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) such as Dark Age of Camelot would become paramount for his new position with ZeniMax, because the studio was created for one purpose… to add multiplayer to The Elder Scrolls universe. Not just multiplayer, though, no, the studios’ whole existence was intertwined with a small MMO game, then called The Elder Scrolls Online. While ZeniMax Online Studios was founded in 2007, the team’s mysterious project remained hidden for almost seven years. ZeniMax remained stoic in its decision to keep the project close to its chest, even when the website, Tom’s Guides, leaked information regarding the game in March 2012. We wouldn’t see the official announcement until May 2012, when it was used as Game Informer’s cover game, along with a full feature about what we could expect. Beta testing would follow in January 2013, before the game debuted on Windows and Mac on April 4th, 2014. The Xbox One and PS4 versions wouldn’t actually release until June 9th, 2015. By the time the game had released on console, the original mandatory subscription model and had been replaced by an optional, premium offering called ‘ESO Plus,’ which would allow players to access all additional DLC without paying upfront. It also meant the game’s title was changed to the Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.Since the release of The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax has focused all of its efforts on keeping the game flourishing. The team has done pretty well in that regard as well, with the game having received five expansion packs and 18 DLC packs to date They have dabbled in other projects on the side, assisting with Doom (2016) and Fallout 76, but The Elder Scrolls Online has remained its primary focus.ZeniMax Online’s previous project — The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel UnlimitedWhile The Elder Scrolls Online is ZeniMax Online’s current project, it’s also the developer’s future project, so it can have a space in both. 2021’s year-long adventure ‘Gates of Oblivion’ has just drawn to a close, and we’re currently waiting to find out what next year’s adventure will be, and where in Tamriel we’ll be taken to next. The game is still doing well, and Bethesda’s Pete Hines has even said that the game was Bethesda’s most successful title between 2017 and 2021 — which is a huge turnaround, considering the game’s bumpy start to life. According to the MMO population counter website, MMO Populations, The Elder Scrolls Online currently has around 19 million tracked players and subscribers, and is ranked in ninth place for player count out of the 133 tracked MMOs. ZeniMax Online’s future project — The Elder Scrolls Online and unkownZenimax doesn’t look to be slowing down with The Elder Scrolls Online any time soon, but according to a job listing earlier this year, another project is in the works. The listing was found back in April and called for a senior vehicle designer to work on a new AAA game. No other details were given about the title, and ZeniMax has remained silent ever since, but it’s certainly an exciting prospect.As we know from ZeniMax’s work on The Elder Scrolls Online, the team isn’t one for shouting about their projects until well into development, so we don’t expect to hear anything about this mysterious title for quite some time. But seeing as it’s looking for a vehicle designer, we could be looking at a more modern or futuristic game. We’ll let you know when details have been divulged.ZeniMax Online Studios in 2021It’s been a great year for The Elder Scrolls Online, with 2021’s Gates of Oblivion year-long adventure having now drawn to a close. This year centred around the lands of Blackwood, and its struggles with sitting on the border of Cyrodil and the war that is raging over the Ruby Throne. If that wasn’t enough, the Daedric Prince, Mehrunes Dagon, also decided to use it as the perfect place to mount an offensive on Tamriel, with the help of his loyal cultists. In March the game saw two new dungeons added with the Flames of Ambition DLC, which was then followed by a whole new zone in June with the Blackwood expansion. In September a further two dungeons were added with the Waking Flame DLC, before closing out the year in November with a smaller zone in the Deadlands DLC. Sometime in Q1 2022, we should find out about the next year-long adventure, and where in Tamriel we will be fighting next.How does ZeniMax Online Studios rank?There are some in the office that absolutely love The Elder Scrolls Online, and would happily give ZeniMax Online an S rank just for that — OK, there is just one, but he loves it enough for the whole team. But we’ve decided to go with an A, due to the team’s proven track record with the game. It’s a title that started life with a population of players that would quickly dwindle, due to a forced subscription package and balancing issues. But from the ashes rose a phoenix, and with Zenimax’s continued support, and releasing the game on both Xbox One and PS4, The Elder Scrolls Online is an absolute gleaming success that shows just what the team can accomplish, even when the odds are stacked against them. We’ll be looking forward to seeing what this studio is working on next, and of course 2022’s year-long adventure in Tamriel.A TierAA studio with a fantastic portfolio, and the talent to impress furtherBut that’s just what we think, and we would love to know what ranking you would give ZeniMax Online Studios. Let s know your thoughts by dropping a comment below!How would you rank ZeniMax Online Studios?
S — A world-class studio executing at an exceptional level
A — A studio with a fantastic portfolio, and the talent to impress further
B — A studio capable of greatness, but has more to offer
C — An up-and-coming studio, or one struggling to realise its potential
We’ve had 6 responses.