Posted in: Games | Tagged: bethesda, Bethesda Softworks, Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online, Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind, super bowl

Was ESO: Morrowind's Trailer Too Vague For The Super Bowl?

Published Sun, 05 Feb 2017 20:45:15 -0600

by Madeline Ricchiuto

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Watching Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind's new trailer during the Super Bowl was a rather simple experience for me. I saw the trailer, went, 'ah yes some of that's familiar' and wrote a short post. But while I was typing furiously away at my keyboard to get the article out, I got a few messages from friends watching the game asking "Is that Elder Scrolls?" or even "Wait which game was that?" because naturally I'm the one who fields these questions.

Even watching the extended trailer that we posted, it can be a bit difficult to realize just what it is that Bethesda is trying to promote if you miss the final plug. Personally, I immediately recognized the Warden character and then went "oh Dwemertech" which told me very easily that we were seeing an Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind ad. That said, so much of the Super Bowl spot was just typical fantasy. A mage with ice and fire magic, a basic rogue, a battle bear – its all somewhat general fantasy.

Other than the Dwemer Centurion and Dwemer Sphere, there wasn't too much about the setting or characters that screamed "Elder Scrolls." Which is perhaps a hard thing to do, but Skyrim's ads pulled it off fantastically. Perhaps another confusing aspect of the spot is the name. Yes Morrowind is the setting of the new expansion, but it is also the name of the third single-player Elder Scrolls game. I wouldn't be surprised if a few people were wondering if they'd redone The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind the way Square Enix is redoing Final Fantasy VII.

Granted, we'd have heard about a remake much sooner than the Super Bowl right before the launch but still. A 30-second tv spot may not have been the best medium. Fan reaction seems to be mostly excited over the spot though, it doesn't seem like a lot of Elder Scrolls Fans hit the Super Bowl. Most of the game's social media is currently filled with people actually playing Elder Scrolls Online and not, you know, at a bar watching the game. But there were a few like the one below: