NEWS
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has sold 30 million copies, which makes it a
hit on the scale of Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Mario. They joked about the
game on an episode of NCIS. You can't get more mainstream than that. What did
that kind of success mean for you as a creator?
Each of our games has found a larger and larger audience, which we never
take for granted. A lot of us have worked together for 10, 15, 20 years - in
many respects, making the same game. Skyrim was kind of this tipping point. It
seemed to hit an audience that we had never had before.
It didn't change us. But it did make us aware that some of the things we
do speak to people who don't traditionally play games, or don't traditionally
play role-playing games. They make it their own experience, and that was what
was most important to us. Putting somebody in a world where they can do what
they want. I think that's what's special about video games as entertainment.
Of all your games, I feel like Skyrim is the one that gets closest to
delivering that experience, which you talk about a lot. It's a game with a lot
of "verbs" for the player, a lot of different ways to approach situations,
lots of multi-part side quests that feel just as important as the main quest.
I think that's true. The game has really good flow. When I sit down and
play it again, even I get kind of lost. It's giving you choices at a nice pace.
In 2012 you said the design document for Skyrim was a Conan action figure.
Really?
I'm looking at him on my desk right now. We start with tone. This is it.
This is the tone.