We sit down with The Elder Scrolls Online’s Creative Director, Rich Lambert, to discuss all things Elder Scrolls, the return of a certain Daedric Prince, the arrival of Companions, and the return of Oblivion in this year's new story chapter The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood.

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“One of the things we love is having that sense of nostalgia, and the Blackwood zone stretches from the southern tip of Cyrodiil all the way to the eastern border of Shadowfen,” The Elder Scrolls Online Creative Director Rich Lambert tells me. “In terms of iconic cities that give us Leyawiin, which will act as a kind of home base. As you venture east, you’re going to also get to explore Gideon, which hasn't been seen in an Elder Scrolls game since Arena in 1994. Which means, it'll look a lot different than it did back then.”

As The Elder Scrolls Online’s Creative Director, Rich Lambert was actually a part of the team that developed 2006’s Oblivion. In preparation for Blackwood, Rich pulled out an old copy of an Oblivion ‘Player’s Guide’ to re-acquaint himself with the feel of that game. Others in the team did the same, albeit in other ways. Some replayed The Elder Scrolls IV from start to finish, others watched Let’s Play videos that ran for several hours. “Across the board somebody on the team knows the answer to pretty much any question that anyone could ask,” Rich explains. “Not just with that game but any Elder Scrolls or what happened in a specific era or place. It's awesome working with a group of people that invested in Elder Scrolls.”

Our Full The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Interview