Looks like Amazon.com made a small mistake and posted a picture of Elder Scrolls Online’s Imperial Edition instead of Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition for PS3. The picture was taken down quickly, but it was up long enough for people to take notice. Bear in mind that this is leaked material and not an official announcement. For all we know it could be hoax.
Most of the items listed in the picture seem quite standard for a collector’s edition: A collector’s edition box & steelbook packaging, 12-inch Molag Bal statue, a map of Tamriel and a 224-page illustrated book called ‘Emperor’s Guide to Tamriel’. Where it gets interesting is the exclusive collection of digital content: white imperial horse mount, mudcrab vanity pet, rings of Mara and… wait for it… the ability to play as an imperial in any alliance.
It’s also worth noting that there’s a large PS4 logo in the image which indicates that the edition is for PS4. Whether the PC/Mac and XBone players can purchase the same edition is another matter. I don’t see a reason to make such an edition for PS4 only.
Many players have wondered if the imperials will be a playable race at some point in ESO. Until now we’ve been under the impression that the imperials are NPC-only, but the leaked image would suggest otherwise. What this would mean for the lore and story of ESO is also an interesting question. Maybe the imperials are implemented as a neutral race, available for every faction. Having to pay extra money for something that looks like a collector’s edition in order to get access to play as an imperial in ESO feels a bit like a kick in the groin. Collector’s editions typically go for way over 100 $ and I don’t see why this Imperial Edition would be any different. A 12″ statue of Molag Bal on its own is probably worth a lot of money.
Hopefully Zenimax will reveal the purchase options for ESO soon so we don’t have to speculate about leaked pictures.
EDIT: mmoga.com has listed Imperial Edition as one of the purchase options. The price tag is 77,99 euros which translates to roughly 106 dollars.