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With the passage of time, nearly all the gaming news in August revolved around The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Sword of the Kings. Moondustries' Fantasy received a modest round of advertising early in the month, but as it became clear that the popularity of these two blockbuster titles remained strong, the company scaled back its promotional efforts.
In the second half of the month, when the initial hype for the two games slightly subsided, Fantasy resumed its marketing. Yet without other major releases competing during this lull, it seemed poised to dominate the spotlight. Looking at the flood of online coverage focused on Skyrim and Sword of the Kings, Moondustries still felt optimistic.
Though Fantasy quietly continued its rollout, other developers also pushed titles during the same period. Still, the media and public focus remained on Skyrim and Sword of the Kings. As two AAA titles, their quality and production value naturally drew more attention than standard releases.
During this period, PixelPioneers Studio and Gemtechs officially announced that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had sold over 3 million copies. Not to be outdone, Essence, the publisher behind Sword of the King, reported that their title had surpassed 1 million sales.
Although 1 million is 2 million fewer than Skyrim's figure, context matters: Skyrim was discounted during its promotional period, while Sword of the King remained at its full retail price. In that light, Sword of the King wasn't lagging too far behind. It was a close match.
Many in the industry watching this face-off couldn't help but be impressed. From its opening scene, Skyrim showcased stunning visuals, a seamless open world, and an unparalleled sense of freedom. Even small touches, like stripping defeated enemies of their gear, corpses reacting to the environment, and the ability to burn or hide them, added to the realism.
If players used fire-based spells on corpses, they would be reduced to ash. Animals like wolves or crows might later arrive to scavenge the remains. These immersive details helped build the illusion of a living, breathing world. Meanwhile, Sword of the King opened with an exciting war sequence in its HTC demo, drawing attention for its polished presentation and fluid gameplay.
But as players progressed, opinions began to diverge. User feedback showed Skyrim's rating rise from 9.0 to 9.3, a rare feat for any game. On Social Tap, Sword of the King saw its score decline from 8.6 to 8.2. This wasn't unusual. Early adopters often give high scores out of initial excitement, but as the player base widens, criticism naturally increases.
As time went on, some players noticed weaknesses. In Sword of the King, the initial excitement faded, and the lack of similarly intense battles later on made the pacing feel uneven. The storyline, centered on a protagonist seeking revenge and resurrection, left many feeling like they were playing as the heir to a bandit camp, rather than a true royal successor. The game's world felt too small in scope.
Players looking for grand war campaigns were disappointed. However, the drop in score wasn't severe, indicating that the game still maintained a solid level of quality overall.
As for Skyrim? Its continued rise in rating, however modest, was significant. A 9.3 is already considered elite. Reaching 9.5 would place it among the few masterpieces of the genre. Did Skyrim deserve that reputation?
Many in the industry were taken aback and it was just the beginning. Aside from the immense open world, Skyrim's main storyline alone could take dozens of hours to complete. And then there were the expansions: Dawnguard, Dragonborn, and others, introducing vampire conflicts, the origin of Dragonborn powers, and the antagonist Miraak. Some of these, like Dragonborn, were still in development at the time.
Even before those arrived, players had already confronted Alduin, the World-Eater, and engaged in the civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion. Multiplayer and official mod support were still pending, yet the base game was enough to keep most players hooked for countless hours. Thieves Guild, Companions, Dark Brotherhood, the Empire, the Stormcloaks, the College of Winterhold…
Even without following the main storyline, Skyrim's wealth of side quests could feel like their own main plots. Nearly every NPC had a quest behind them.
By contrast, in Sword of the King, players who ignored the main quest were left with repetitive objectives like "go here and kill that." What seemed fun at first quickly became monotonous.
In Skyrim, players could carve out their path. Some followed the main plot, learning Dragon Shouts from the Greybeards and discovering their destiny. Others wandered the wilderness, stumbled upon a courier request, and inadvertently triggered multi-layered story arcs, sometimes even reconnecting with the main quest later. The sheer volume of surprises and interconnected events made every exploration meaningful. Even after the initial awe of Skyrim's world faded, players felt there was still so much to uncover.
Seeing the momentum of Skyrim compared to Sword of the King, the lead producer at Essence couldn't help but feel frustrated. Especially after putting aside his initial skepticism and genuinely immersing himself in Skyrim, the sting was even worse.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a half-finished product? Just a hype machine? How is it selling this well at a lower price? Let us breathe! What did I ever do to deserve this?" Suddenly, he felt a deep sense of injustice.