ESO’s character creation does feature a choice of voices, as seen in Zenimax’ own customization video, but as with Skyrim, this choice will probably be peripheral to keep immersion. As far as the decision to include a handful of notable actors among the ESO cast goes, some might claim that using voices they recognize can kill immersion, but for most players it will probably be a draw. The Elder Scrolls Online also aims to tell a story and to take the player through it, and calling the voice acting out for this purpose seems a little more like nitpicking at this point.
However, some will argue that getting known actors to participate in a game costs a significant amount of money. This is likely true, though no specifics will come out. Those who think it’s a bad idea might think it’s one of poorly balanced decision making. If the gameplay or other elements of the game don’t meet their expectations, these gamers might blame the budget spent on voice acting as somehow being responsible for potential faults they may find in gameplay or elsewhere. This is what happened with reaction to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Players dissatisfied with gameplay or PvP or combat decisions in SWTOR would toss around blame on the money spent on voice acting “instead” of on gameplay, although the fully-voiced story was lauded by many, even though who had deep issues with other aspects of the game, as The Old Republic’s best feature.
Yet, when budgeting for a game, these things are taken into account early. In ESO, it is especially so, particularly given the notable actors and huge casts in Skyrim and Oblivion. Getting actors to voice the numerous NPCs one will encounter, as well as names for the notable roles, will have been considered long ago. Skyrim alone had over 70 voice actors for the various speaking parts available. Building an MMORPG, with its persistent world, large cast of characters, and what the developers probably hope to be a good solid set of hours of content for the average player, takes many elements to flesh out and feel both real (and in this case, to feel like an Elder Scrolls game). It’s a good idea to lower the pitchforks and let gameplay succeed or fail upon its own merits, because voice casting and acting is in another budget area and production area entirely.
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Ultimately, the announcement of the voice cast won’t sway those who have either decided to play or those who plan to avoid the game altogether. That said, The Elder Scrolls Online is likely to attract at least some non-MMO players to the genre. Those 20 million copies of Skyrim dwarfed the sales of Oblivion several times over. Having significant names in the game will be a marketing tool toward not only those who expect the same style of storytelling they found in Skyrim, but the quality and frequency of the voice acted world. Imagine for a moment that you’ve played a game like Skyrim, and then find yourself in an MMO with mostly text-based quests and objectives. Zenimax is wise to avoid that disconnect.
Christina Gonzalez / Christina is a freelancer and contributor to MMORPG.com, where she writes the community-focused Social Hub column. You will also find her contributions at RTSGuru. Follow her on Twitter: @c_gonzalez
