Elder Scrolls Online developer hints at upcoming Tales of Tribute card game

In the new chapter of The Elder Scrolls Online, High Isle, players will be able to play the Tales of Tribute card game for hours. ESO Creative Director Rich Lambert spoke about the thought process behind the brand new activity and whether it will become a standalone game.

One of the many new features accompanying the latest chapter in The Elder Scrolls Online history, ESO High Isle, is Tales of Tribute; a Hearthstone-style card game that provides a welcome respite from dungeon trolling and tearing enemies apart.

While in the warmth of the tavern, players can challenge each other to exciting duels using many different predetermined decks to wrest the crown (pun intended).

It turns out, though, that this fun side activity has been on the cards (it was also meant to be) for a long time, as ESO's creative director, Rich Lambert, shared information about the development process Tales of Tribute from The Elder Scrolls Online.

Process behind Tales of Tribute

While spin-off card games and MMORPGs seem to go hand in hand, it turns out Tales of Tribute has been in development for quite some time now.

“That's what we've always wanted to do,” explains Lambert. “I remember playing taverns in 2009 when we were still in early pre-production. It's an alternative activity, something that fleshes out the world and gives you something to do when you're not searching, killing, or crafting."

“It helps that I’m a bit of a crazy gambler,” he admits. “I love card games. It seemed very natural for me and the team to do something like that.”

Given how seamlessly Tales of Tribute fits into the Elder Scrolls Online universe, it would seem logical to develop it into its own mini-game in the style of The Witcher's Gwent, or even Hearthstone.

“I mean, I would be lying if I said I never thought about it before,” he laughs. “We're focused on making it as good as we can right now in ESO, see what players think, and then move on. We know very well that players will get this and say, "I want the standalone version, I want the physical version" and we'll just see where it goes after we launch it."

Speaking of the physical version, making Tales of Tribute into a game that players can play outside of the virtual realm is something Lambert thinks makes sense.

“The game was created to be a physical thing in the world – it looks and feels like a game that the average person can play. There's not a lot of magic here, not a lot of finicky bits and pieces; just bring your cards and a couple of tokens, slap them on the table and you're off to play. That was the whole intention and purpose of this system.”

Whether or not we see Tales of Tribute blossom into a full blown universe of its own remains to be seen, but Lambert clearly has high hopes for this innovative take on the classic MMO card game. Anyway; we can't wait to dive in and live out our tavern fantasies - with a pint of ale, of course.

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