Open nature of PC is best for MMOs, says Zenimax

ZeniMax Online's Matt Firor has said the reason we don't see many MMOs on consoles, is due to PCs being so "wide open."

Speaking with GI International regarding The Elder Scrolls Online, Firor said the execution also boils down to the "desk vs. couch argument."

"The classic desk vs. couch argument is blurring over time, [as] the current-gen and previous-gen MMOs were all about using the keyboard and mouse, and sure, everyone used things like Ventrilo and other voice chat services, but that only works in a small group," he said. "A lot of that has been thanks to design problems that people haven't focused on a lot, such as typing and controlling at the same time.

"The 360, when announced was a pretty ridiculously cool device, but it is not so good anymore compared to PCs and even when it was announced PCs were still better than it. The technology was a little limiting for the size and scope of the world you could have. It mostly comes down to PCs being wide open.

"Online game development is all about doing whatever you want, pushing limitations, and it's just easier to do on an open platform. Someday, it may all change."

Firor said he and his team have also heard all the rumors regarding next-gen consoles, and while it's tempting to consider developing TESO for next-gen, the team hasn't though heavily about it.

"There are a lot of rumors swirling around the next-gen coming back together with PCs," he said. "I haven't seen any of that, but I read all the rumor sites just like everyone else. It seems like things are going back to a more standard platform. That being said, we haven't thought about it heavily right now.

"The worst thing you can do is worry about new platforms while in development. We want to do what we're doing right now and then look around for further opportunities. Certainly we're open to new opportunities, and we're going to be looking into new territories beyond North America and Europe."

TESO is out next year on PC.