The Elder Scrolls: Arena was released back in 1994 on DOS. Two decades later and the franchise is at the peak of its popularity with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim having sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. We're just days removed from the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online - the long awaited MMORPG extension of the RPG series.
Game director Todd Howard, who started working on the series as his first assignment was to test the CD-ROM version of Arena, posted a blog on elderscrolls.com about the impact of the series and what's has kept it fresh over the decades:
"One thing that has kept the series vibrant for so long is that as opposed to simply adding to the previous game for a sequel, we always started over. It was our desire that each game be its own thing; had its own tone, its own soul. As the years went by the technologies changed, we changed, you changed. But the goal remained the same - to create a game that transported you to another place. A game that fueled you with the ideal of endless possibilities. A world you could make your own."