Instead of throwing the previous installment away, each installment of The Elder Scrolls would add content to the world. For example, if you had purchased both Morrowind and Oblivion, you could now travel between the lands in the same game.

I propose having the entire world of Nirn available for free, which could include a small area to explore. The actual Elder Scrolls games would cost the same as always.

Picture eventually having the whole world filled with content, and you could play each game by simply traveling to where it takes place.

This would require a very flexible engine.

This poses a number of problems, the largest being game balance with bug testing following close behind. It's already difficult to balance and test these games, allowing you to connect several at once would make this task monstrous. Such a system would also prevent any significant changes to the character system and a large number of other gameplay elements.

Graphics would also be odd, even if the engine could be upgraded previous games would have lower resolution textures and lower polygon models . . . and while some of that may be easily scalable (if you make a new daedric longsword presumable this would replace the old model) a lot of it wouldn't - there's no reason for TES V to include upgraded models for ashlander critters only found in Vvardenfell.

It's certainly a cool concept but I just don't think it would be practical. I also wonder if it would be as fun as it sounds, there's a point where I think you'd end up with too much game and it would feel like you were missing to much with any character.

"This would require a very flexible engine."

That right there is the sticking point. Though many people on these forums still play Morrowind and / or will continue to play Oblivion long after Skyrim has debuted, that audience alone does not spend enough to justify a game's existence. In order to sell, a platform cannot remain 100% stagnant, and that is precisely what your otherwise beautiful idea would require. To implement your plan, there are only two possible courses:

1) Bethesda creates an excellent game engine, uses it to either create an entire Tamrielic landscape, then fleshes out a small part of it for each release. As the years progress, the amount of content available for the game expands, but the engine and its capabilities gradually age. Result: an incredibly massive and impressive game that fans love and can never tire of, but this presents a very hard sell to future newcomers who think that the system is terribly dated and clunky.

2) Bethesda creates an excellent game engine, uses it to create part of the Tamrielic landscape. This basically continues the trend of 1 province per game that we saw in Morrowind and Oblivion. The difference is that all new chapters are made backwards compatible, so that when you buy Oblivion, you get access to Morrowind as well with the same character. The big problem here is that, in order to make the games work seamlessly together, Morrowind requires an upgrade in graphics, voice-overs, and gameplay. Skyrim likewise requires an upgrade of both Morrowind and Oblivion so that players can journey across all 3 provinces without noticing a discernible disjoint. Result: a gradually expanding and always cutting-edge game, but one that requires an ever-increasing amount of time and resources from Bethesda to produce and maintain. This would necessarily translate into higher costs per game and / or longer waits between games, both of which would not please fans. Furthermore, all sales of previous games would necessarily cease with the release of a new chapter; why buy Morrowind when you get the same content in a fancy version when you purchase it as part of Oblivion?

So again, beautiful idea, but probably not practical from a business standpoint. Feel free to prove me wrong; I'd love to see either of these scenarios actually work.

I'm not saying it should be backwards compatible with Morrowind and Oblivion. That would be impossible. They would have to start from scratch.

There shouldn't have to be any work done to previous games if the engine is designed correctly. With hardware tessellation, model upgrades can be built right into the game. All that would have to be done is up the tessellation value, because the base model would be extremely detailed. The engine can be patched for better lighting/physics/AI.

I like the idea, but I don't think it's needed. When Morrowind came out it's graphics were amazing. I just step out of that office and started walking... I was blown away by the world. I mean Vivic, come on, that was amazing! There was a floating rock over the ministry! I just jumped around, if the AI could talk they would have said, "[censored] tourists". As I played the game I was continually impressed by the culture of Morrowind. The same was said when I played OB for the first time. I nearly pissed myself when I saw White-gold Tower the first time and stepping through that gate in Kvatch I was like holy [censored]! ! !

What I'm saying I like discover new parts of Tamriel in each installment and just being blown away! I always have the memories of the other region, I don't need to go back. I just wish they would tell you what's going on in those regions