The designers of the original Elder Scrolls are making a new RPG

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Elder Scrolls veterans who have worked on the venerable series since Arena have founded a new studio, OnceLost Games, and they're teasing their first game—not surprisingly, it's a big open-world RPG.

OnceLost Games' quartet of founders includes the original designers and producer of Arena, as well as Julian LeFay, "The Father of The Elder Scrolls". Their other credits range from RPGs, like later Elder Scrolls and Lord of the Rings: Online, to the colourful capers of Spyro the Dragon.

If you never played Arena or, given its age, fancy a refresher, it's conveniently free these days, so you can take their 25-year-old creation for a spin whenever you want.

The new RPG is a mystery for now, but OnceLost says it will be a "massive open-world fantasy adventure, and will boast revolutionary technology and game design". It probably sounds a lot like the pitch for Arena, and it will draw from '90s design pillars, though with the benefit of modern production values and quality of life improvements.

The mystery game will get a proper announcement by the end of the year.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.