YouTuber ESO Danny recently conducted an interview with Ted Peterson, one of the creators of the first two Elder Scrolls games: The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. He was instrumental in creating much of the early lore of the series, having written over 150,000 words for in-game books, and creating some of the history of Tamriel and the lore of the Daedra. He also lends his name to Sheogorath, which is a corruption of his full name, Theodore.
Back in 2019, a group of developers on the original Elder Scrolls games including Peterson, Julian LeFay, and Vijay Lakshman announced they were forming a company called OnceLost Games to make a spiritual successor to the classic Elder Scrolls games titled The Wayward Realms.
The interview is split into two parts. In the first part, Danny asks Peterson about The Elder Scrolls. They talk about what he was thinking as he created the lore behind the first two games, what their thought process was, and some of his original ideas for the series lore, such as his thoughts on the disappearance of the Dwemer. They talk about Peterson's thoughts on the newer games, including Oblivion, Skyrim, and The Elder Scrolls Online, and how he might have done them differently.
In the second part, Peterson talks about OnceLost Games and The Wayward Realms. The get into some of the lore of the game, and what the developers want to do with the game, including what systems they will use and the kind of world and gameplay they're aiming for.
When The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was released, it ended up being a very different game than Daggerfall or Arena. Todd Howard had joined Bethesda by the point, and many of the original developers had left. Starting with it, the series went in a bit of a different direction. The older games were much more focused around roleplaying, consequences, and being a single part of one of the largest worlds in gaming, rather than a larger-than-life chosen hero.
From the interview, and some of the other materials the developers have released so far, The Wayward Realms looks very exciting for fans of the original Bethesda titles. The newer Elder Scrolls games still have a lot they can learn from Daggerfall, and that seems to be what OnceLost Games intend to bring to The Wayward Realms.
Right now, the game is still very early in pre-production. Some lore and concept art has been released, but no gameplay has been shown. So for now, The Wayward Realms looks to be a long way off. Many games don't survive pre-production, especially those by indie studios, so there's no guarantee the game will ever be released. However, it seems like this will be a fun venture to hope for all the same.
The Wayward Realms, inspired by the Elder Scrolls, is in development.
Source: ESO Danny