Do you know why the world isn’t going to end in 2012?

That’s because The Elder Scrolls Online is releasing in 2013!

According to vg247.com, which has gotten access to a leaked digital copy of GameInformer, the MMORPG will function pretty much like the single-player game. Players will be able to join any and every guild in the game that they want; they’ll level and quest in the same Elder Scrolls fashion and undergo many small events by themselves.

Developer Zenimax Online (not Bethesda Game Studios this time) is also aiming for a ‘hubless’ design, which means players won’t have to keep running back to a particular town or quest hub to continue in their journey.

Combat wise, stamina management looks to be the focus, though your fighting (aka mouse) skillz help to increase ‘finesse’, which then allows you to unleash an ultimate attack that will make better loot drop. The level cap for TES Online is expected to take about 120 hours.

There will also be three factions comprising of three races each. The Ebonheart Pact consists of the Nords, Dunmer and Argonians, the Daggerfall Covenant has got the Bretons, Redguard and Orcs, and the Aldmeri Dominian is made up for the Altmer, Bosmer and Khajit.

While it does remain to be seen if Zenimax Online can match up to Bethesda’s stellar work for the past five Elder Scrolls games, we’ve started wondering how we’ll keep this site running once TES Online launches.

Oh, and if you haven’t noticed The Elder Scrolls Online is currently a PC-only title. There isn’t any confirmation, if at all, on a console version.

(Source: vg247.com, photo: chrisjonesgaming.net)