» Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:28 pm Okay, so I think we could all use a quick recap of some of the noteworthy tweets and other information we've encountered so far and any implications they may carry, so here's my attempt at reconciling all of them into one post. If I've missed something, don't be afraid to correct me. The hope is to come up with a quick-reference we can use so we're all on the same page, including any newcomers that are bound to jump aboard the speculation train over the next few days/weeks.
Summary!
Based on the information we have and conclusions that have been drawn, potentials for the February cover must meet these requirements:
Don't forget the one thing the Elder Scrolls series has that other potentials don't: the 4-page spread on Elder Scrolls history in the latest Game Informer, positioned on the very last pages (that's a big spot) of the issue. No other series got that treatment. That's a likely sign that something is coming.
- http://twitter.com/#!/GI_AndyMc/status/20397485690: And for the people that keep begging for the next Elder Scrolls....trust me, we want it too. Patience.
- Implication: The people that had been begging for an Elder Scrolls announcement need only wait to have their wants met.
- Conclusion: In August, Andy McNamara knew there was an Elder Scrolls related announcement somewhere in the future - a statement based on either raw journalistic instinct or, more likely, actual knowledge on the subject. Also, people had been begging him for it for a while at that point. Unlikely that there's a literal correlation between this tweet and the next due to the specific use of the word "begging", but it at least makes another Elder Scrolls a likely candidate. - http://twitter.com/#!/GI_AndyMc/status/2446334590189568: Got test samples for our Feb cover today & Jan is already in motion. Jan you won't see coming but you have been begging for Feb 4ever
- Implication: The upcoming February cover is a game that fans have been specifically requesting for a long time and is one they could potentially see coming.
- Conclusion: The game must not be an original IP (how can you ask for something you don't know exists?) and its predecessor must have released quite a while ago (longer than the standard release schedule for sequels, at least). - https://twitter.com/#!/michaelbuffaloe/status/12258446166462464: @GI_AndyMc Can you confirm the presence of a four-page spread on the history of the Elder Scrolls series in the latest GI? There are rumors.
https://twitter.com/#!/gi_andymc/status/12259998386094080: @michaelbuffaloe it's true!
- Implication: No implications - he's confirming a fact, so there's nothing to derive from what he said.
- Conclusion: Well, that's obvious. There's a 4-page spread on the history of The Elder Scrolls - in the spot they usually reserve for next-issue previews, by the way - in the latest issue of Game Informer. Retrospective articles on an entire series are only done in a very few rare circumstances, one of which happens to be prepping an audience for an announcement related to said series. It's very likely the article was written with the express intent of preparing the Game Informer readers for an Elder Scrolls bombshell. - http://twitter.com/#!/MrTissueBox/status/12638964678664192: @Andrew_Reiner Is the next cover a game that was already revealed or not?
http://twitter.com/#!/Andrew_Reiner/status/12710489284939776: @MrTissueBox Nope!
- Implication: It's kind of murky, but it's very likely Andrew Reiner was responding to the first portion of MrTissueBox's question. We had a whole discussion about it back in Speculation Thread #87, but eventually we all agreed: people tend to address the primary portion of the question. If he was trying to respond to the latter portion, it wouldn't make much sense. Uncomfortable English would be unlikely from an editor.
- Conclusion: The February cover depicts a game that is unannounced, at least as of December 8th. It's possible that the title could be announced between then and the cover reveal without falsifying his statement, so we can't rule out anything announced at the VGAs, but anything that was revealed before the 8th isn't in the running.
Summary!
Based on the information we have and conclusions that have been drawn, potentials for the February cover must meet these requirements:
- It cannot be a new IP. (Meaning, it can't be a new world/idea/brand - it must be a sequel/addition/expansion to an existing world/idea/brand.)
- Its "prequel" (the game in the series that came before it) must have released long enough ago to justify a long period of want for a sequel. At least two years since the last entry.
- It cannot have been announced to the public as of December 8th. Any title announced after that date is fair game.
Don't forget the one thing the Elder Scrolls series has that other potentials don't: the 4-page spread on Elder Scrolls history in the latest Game Informer, positioned on the very last pages (that's a big spot) of the issue. No other series got that treatment. That's a likely sign that something is coming.
Your also missing out on the tweets were pete hines telling me that he has a set date.
