ZeniMax wants to make "a good game" first, instead of a "good MMO, Elder Scrolls game"

Paul Sage, creative director for The Elder Scrolls Online, has told Game Informer that players will still be able to experience being the hero in the MMO as much as in the single-player versions of the series.

"You absolutely get that same experience of the world with that distraction-based gameplay where you really get to control your own destiny in how you experience the game," said Sage. "I don't think [being the hero] is much different in an MMO than it is in any other medium, really, any other typical RPG. I think this just gives us more opportunity to make you the hero.

"When I'm looking at the screen, when the NPCs see me, they see me as the hero, they react to me as the hero. When you're playing with a group of friends, or even strangers, and you're a healer, and you heal that guy that's on his last leg, it sounds silly, but in a way you're that person's hero. I think that's a big thing for people, it reinforces that social bond. You get to be a hero amongst your friends."

As far as how fans will react to the idea of an MMO based on the much lauded series, Sage said it was important for the team to make "a good game first" and foremost.

"We have to make our own game," he said. "We want to make a good game first. Not a good MMO, not a good Elder Scrolls game, we want to make a good game first, a great experience for the player."

You can watch the entire interview through the link.