Elder Scrolls Online Veteran Slams "WoW Clone" Label, Urges Players to Embrace ESO's Unique Identity

Daily Games

01/05/2026

Matt Firor, a veteran of the MMO genre and former director of The Elder Scrolls Online, has expressed his strong disapproval of the game being labeled a "WoW clone." Even a year after leaving ZeniMax Online Studios, Firor finds the comparison personally irksome, arguing that approaching ESO with expectations set by World of Warcraft will inevitably lead to disappointment.

Key Takeaways

Matt Firor, former ESO director, dislikes the "WoW clone" label.
He believes playing ESO like WoW leads to a poor player experience.
Firor highlights ESO's distinct systems and Elder Scrolls DNA.
He acknowledges WoW as a great game but emphasizes their fundamental differences.

A Veteran's Perspective

Firor, whose extensive MMO career includes producing Dark Age of Camelot and working on early titles like Silent Death Online and Aliens Online, stated in a recent interview that the comparison "still gets under my skin." He pointed out that while both are multiplayer fantasy games, the same logic could incorrectly label WoW as a Dark Age of Camelot clone.

"Every game takes things that the games before them did and mixes them together in a different soup, and it's awesome," Firor explained. He emphasized that while ESO was built as an Elder Scrolls MMO, its underlying systems are significantly different from World of Warcraft's.

Embracing ESO's Identity

Firor’s core argument is that players who try to experience The Elder Scrolls Online through the lens of World of Warcraft will not enjoy themselves. "If you sit down and play it like it's a WoW clone, you're not going to have fun at all," he warned. Instead, he advises players to approach it as an Elder Scrolls game.

This sentiment appears to be shared within the community. A popular Reddit thread comparing the two games suggests that players often enjoy ESO for its story and WoW for its power progression, indicating a general understanding of their distinct strengths. The comparison itself is often deemed as pointless as contrasting "tea and coffee" to "absinthe and Mt. Dew."

Firor, who admits World of Warcraft is likely his second most-played game, reiterated that ESO is a "fantastic game" when played as intended. He continues to play ESO himself, even after leaving ZeniMax, participating in guilds anonymously.

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