Bethesda Softworks Announces Beta Signups For The Elder Scrolls Online

- Fans of Award-Winning Franchise Get Chance to Explore The Online World of Elder Scrolls with Friends

ROCKVILLE, Maryland, Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bethesda Softworks® and ZeniMax® Online Studios today announced that beta signups are now open for The Elder Scrolls® Online at ElderScrollsOnline.com.  Interested gamers simply have to go to the website and register for a chance to play. Selected beta registrants will be granted early access to beta test the game. They will be among the first to experience this epic world with others in one of 2013's most highly-anticipated releases. Timing and details of the start of playtests will be provided at a later date to those who register.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130122/LA45640)

"We're really excited to get the game into players' hands," said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online. "We receive invaluable feedback through the beta process, and that helps us ensure that the game will be one of the best online gaming experiences ever offered -- one worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise." 

The Elder Scrolls Online brings the award-winning Elder Scrolls experience online for the first time. Using ZeniMax Online's Megaserver technology, players will join one connected world with a built in social network that lets them stay up-to-date with everything their friends are doing. Megaserver technology avoids the hassle of shard selection and makes The Elder Scrolls Online one of the most socially enabled games ever created.  Whether playing alone, or with hundreds of friends, players can develop their own style of play as they embark upon an epic quest across Tamriel.

The Elder Scrolls Online has been named one of 2013's most anticipated games by numerous outlets including IGN, The Guardian, MMORPG.com and Ten Ton Hammer, and was recently declared "the next 'true' great MMO" by MPOGD.com. After experiencing hands-on gameplay this Fall, MMORPG.com described the game as "a perfect sauce of awesome." 

The Elder Scrolls Online is the first Elder Scrolls title to be played online after nearly 20 years of these best-selling, award-winning fantasy role-playing games. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim® is themost recent chapter of the Elder Scrolls story. Skyrim, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was released in November 2011 and enjoyed worldwide critical and commercial success. As the follow-up to the 2002 Role-Playing Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind®, and the2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, Skyrim earned hundreds of 'Game of the Year' awards and sold over 10 million copies in the first month.

The Elder Scrolls Online is slated for release in 2013 andis being developed for the PC and the Mac by ZeniMax Online Studios. The studio is headed up by industry veteran Matt Firor who has more than 20 years of online game development experience. The Elder Scrolls Online has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

About ZeniMax Media Inc.
ZeniMax Media is a privately owned media organization headquartered outside Washington DC with international offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Eindhoven, and Tokyo. Through its subsidiaries, ZeniMax Media creates and publishes original interactive entertainment content for consoles, the PC, and handheld/wireless devices.  ZeniMax Media divisions include Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, Tango Gameworks, MachineGames Sweden, Battlecry Studios, ZeniMax Europe Ltd., ZeniMax Asia K.K. and ZeniMax Online Studios.  For more information on ZeniMax Media, visit www.zenimax.com.

About Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is a worldwide publisher of premier interactive entertainment software. Titles featured under the Bethesda label include such blockbuster franchises as DOOM®, QUAKE®, The Elder Scrolls®, Fallout®, Wolfenstein® , RAGE®, and Dishonored™.  For more information on Bethesda Softworks' products, visit www.bethsoft.com.   

About ZeniMax Online Studios
ZeniMax Online Studios, a division of ZeniMax Media Inc., was established to become a leading developer of online games, with special focus on Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPGs).  ZeniMax Online Studios is located in Hunt Valley, Maryland. For more information on ZeniMax Online Studios, visit www.zenimaxonline.com.

The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda, ZeniMax and their related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the United States and/or in other countries. Fallout is a registered trademark or trademark of Bethesda Softworks LLC in the United States and/or in other countries.  DOOM, QUAKE, Wolfenstein and RAGE are registered trademarks or trademarks of id Software LLC in the United States and/or in other countries. Other product and company names referenced herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.