An anonymous source from within Bethesda has announced to Tom's Guide that an Elder Scrolls MMO is due to be announced in May.

Details are still scarce, with a formal announcement still pending, but so far it's been reported that the game will have three playable factions (represented by a lion, a dragon and a bird of prey), and will be based “over a thousand years” before the events of the Elder Scrolls series.

Fan speculation has been running rampant over these vague hints and what they mean for the game. According to the Elder Scrolls Wiki timeline if the game were based 1000 years before Skyrim it would place The Elder Scrolls: Online during a pretty uneventful period in Tamriel's history. However, placing the game a millennium before the series' first game, Arena, would put players right in a period of intense civil war in Tamriel, which would fit right into the MMO setting.

Our personal take on it here at Shadowlocked is that the three factions will represent the Potentate loyalists, rebel forces (possibly sympathisers of the future Septim emperors?) and Akaviri invaders. But of course, this is all just speculation.

A May announcement will mean that The Elder Scrolls: Online will likely have a significant presence at both E3 and Quakecon this summer, although a release date announcement will still probably be a long way off. When contacted for confirmation, Bethesda replied with a very committal “No comment.” Development has reportedly been going on for quite some time, however, and it's expected that May will bring an explosion of announcement content.

Could this be the greatest news ever made ever?

http://www.shadowlocked.com/201203212464/news/first-details-of-elder-scrolls-mmo-leaked.html

i will have uncontrollable morning wood at all times of the day, for extended periods of time.

My goddd ... it will be amazing!!!! definatly the best news i've heard in a while aside from guild wars 2 :D

I would be torn on an Elder Scrolls MMO. I would have to play it because I love the series. However, I can imagine other players ruining the immersion the series in known for. I like MMOs but the player base gets tiresome after a while and I have to take a break from them.  I guess we will see how it is implented if this is true.

This will prolly be a awome mmo. I'm really wondering how they will create the gameplay for this.

Well I hope it doesn't happen.

I hope Zenimax's Online studios announce what they're working on, but I don't want an Elder Scrolls MMO.

I would rather they made either a single player game where you could access all of Tamriel - every place in the world, or one(the same game)  where you could co-op play than a MMORPG.  People who have no idea of the Elder Scrolls games will come and complain that it is too hard and whine and then there will be Elder Scrolls - the nerfed MMO.  Also some of the best part of the games are the player mods and I cannot see that being part of an MMO. I might be wrong on that... but I don't see it. 

Some games should be left single player and the Elder Scrolls series is one of them.

My opinion.

I don't believe its going to happen.

If it does.. okay.  So bet it.

But as of right now, I don't buy its going to be announced.

Online will likely have a significant presence at both E3 and Quakecon this summer, although a release date announcement will still probably be a long way off. When contacted for confirmation?

Im done with hype!

I see another WoW clone being made with an additional faction to placate the folks who say 2 factions is not fair and balanced, but the rest of the game will be an isntanced griding hand holding love fest that takes all of 3 weeks to hit the level cap.

Hey if I turn out wrong then I will be happy and if as I suspect I am right then its "see I told you so".

Bethesda for sale?

If they announce an mmo and have a good following, I say they go for 500 mil. What do you guys think?

Originally posted by ElderRat

I would rather they made either a single player game where you could access all of Tamriel - every place in the world, or one(the same game)  where you could co-op play than a MMORPG.  People who have no idea of the Elder Scrolls games will come and complain that it is too hard and whine and then there will be Elder Scrolls - the nerfed MMO.  Also some of the best part of the games are the player mods and I cannot see that being part of an MMO. I might be wrong on that... but I don't see it. 

Some games should be left single player and the Elder Scrolls series is one of them.

My opinion.

I only read the first sentence of my quote and I am by no means an ES junkie, in fact Iv never actaully played any ES games, I did watch an entire walkthrough of Marrowwind and oblivion but even so I can for surely say that I dont like the sentence I read one bit, not even in the slightest.

Enough with this half ass online multiplayer shit, with the likes of recent titles such as;ME3, Dead Space 2, theres plenty more.  I will admit anything is better then nothing, but lets get something good going I say, we need something that is worth a shit, maybee ES MMO will be that.

Originally posted by uohaloran

Well I hope it doesn't happen.

I hope Zenimax's Online studios announce what they're working on, but I don't want an Elder Scrolls MMO.

 agreed.

Hammerfell, Invading Yokuda /Reguard

I am so there

The Akaviri would not make sense as a third faction to join, they are demons primarily.

Originally posted by Zairu

Originally posted by uohaloran

Well I hope it doesn't happen.

I hope Zenimax's Online studios announce what they're working on, but I don't want an Elder Scrolls MMO.

 agreed.

No gamer in their right mind would want an elder scrolls MMo. We have enough history to know how this will turn out.

The reason why Bethesda did so well is because they put a lot of time, effort, and money into their games and gave gamers the respect they deserved.  If they can bring those qualities into an MMO I give them my blessing.

But MMOs seemingly corrupt the good and turn them into the wicked.

Okay I'll stop playing Skyrim now....

Well according to this 'anonymous' source, which could be anything from a pet goat to a Fallout troll who wants to get players hopes up, this has been in the works for a while. I wonder how they will incorporate it, the Elder Scrolls has always been so story driven and always promoting open world, if it ends up all instanced and theme parky it won't be Elder Scrolls. They've got the levelling down though that would work well in an open world MMO.