News Blips: Rumored Elder Scrolls MMO, Notch endorses competition, and Mass Effect 3 multiplayer stats

Just think: If today's rumor proves true, it won't be long until we're saddled with clogged chat windows saying "WTB 100 Salt Piles."

News Blips:

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An anonymous source claims ZeniMax and Bethesda's unannounced massively multiplayer project transpires within the Elder Scrolls franchise. Tom's Guide reports the source saying the game takes place an entire millennium before the events of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, so wave goodbye to the prospect of seeing players named "DoVaHkiinDeStRoYeR" strafing Whiterun on their dragon mounts. The source also hinted at the appearance of three playable factions (represented by mysterious "lion, dragon, and bird of prey" insignias) and a "likely" May announcement before a subsequent E3 reveal in June. If this isn't the latest falsity cooked up by M'aiq the Liar, then I'm totally fashioning my character after Candlehead.

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson thinks Steam's dominance of PC gaming's online distribution market is "dangerous." In an interview with GameSpy, Persson praised the successes of Valve's content platform but also encouraged competition (such as EA's Origin service) "out of principle." I remember my primary reason for downloading Steam was so I could continue my Mountain Dew-fueled Counter-Strike crusade. Sadly, it's earned a permanent position in my Pile of Shame.

BioWare reveals some surprising Mass Effect 3 multiplayer statistics. Perhaps the most notable piece of data involves the rate of victory: 33 percent of matches end in failure. Turians are the most popular non-human race with a 6 percent usage versus the Asari, Drell, Krogan, Salarian, and Quarian races. Lastly, the Assault Rifle saw the most action with 36 percent of all players carrying it into battle.

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