"The Elder Scrolls" online game has sold 8.5 million copies.

"The Elder Scrolls" is a series of action role-playing open world fantasy video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series is known for its elaborate and richly detailed open worlds and its focus on free-form gameplay. Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim all won Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets.

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Matt Firor, game director at ZeniMax, told MMORPG at a press event for the game that it has grown. Since "The Elder Scrolls" is an MMO, many might think that the 8.5 million tally is simply a count of the number of registered players, but Firor claims this is not the case. The count only includes sold copies of the game, which suggests that there are even more players registered in ZeniMax Online Studios' game.

Elder Scrolls Online Sells 8.5 Million Copies, Director Says https://t.co/jk4I8FNqQi pic.twitter.com/4HgE4tmYHU

— GameSpot (@gamespot) February 25, 2017

"The Elder Scrolls" recently saw a huge surge of interest due to the introduction of an update that dramatically improved the game in various ways. Level scaling, a wealth of new content, and class changes are among the things introduced with the update. The game's first expansion will debut this summer in the form of Morrowind, which will allow players to visit an area of "The Elder Scrolls" universe that has not been explored in over a decade.

Morrowind is in peril, hero – the time to act is nearly upon us. Watch our first #ESO #Morrowind gameplay trailer! https://t.co/i56QJXkDHN pic.twitter.com/iEwnkNYrcB — Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) February 22, 2017

The Morrowind expansion will reportedly add a "massive new zone, showcasing familiar locations from The Elder Scrolls 3 like Seyda Neen and Vivec City," new enemies, armor, weapons, and encounters, plus the new Warden player class.