Developer ZeniMax Online Studios and Publisher Bethesda Softworks have released the first gameplay footage of their upcoming title “The Elder Scrolls Online.”

Although the new footage only shows off the game’s environment, and is not really at par with “Skyrim,” it is actually quite good as far as future expectations are concerned.

“The Elder Scrolls Online is set in Tamriel's Second Era, roughly 1,000 years before the events in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the coming of the Dragonborn, and just before the rise of Tiber Septim, the first Emperor of Tamriel,” says the game’s official page. “Three Alliances have emerged across the continent, each struggling for supremacy over the land. As these great powers battle one another for control of the Imperial City - and with it all of Tamriel - darker forces are moving to destroy the world.”

The game will have Daedric Prince Molag Bal appearing as the main antagonist as he attempts to conquer all of Tamriel. But wait! There’s more. The entire continent of Tamriel will be playable in the game.

Moreover, players will have the opportunity to join any of the three factions warring over the throne of the Emperor of Tamriel – The Aldmeri Dominion, composed of Altmer, Bosmer and Khajiit (represented by a bird of prey), the Daggerfall Covenant, composed of Bretons, Redguards and Orcs (represented by a lion) and the Ebonheart Pact, composed of Dunmer, Nords and Argonians (represented by a dragon).

“The Elder Scrolls Online” is set to arrive next year on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

Check out the E3 2012 footages below