Elder Scrolls Online to Drop Subscription Fees

Almost a year ago, we reviewed the "Elder Scrolls Online" MMO, based on the story universe of "Skyrim." A year later, they will be dropping the requirement to pay subscription fees every month or so. It won't be a true "Free to Play," as like games such as Guild Wars 2, you need to buy it. But once you make the initial purchase, that's all you need. The change will be part of their upcoming expansion, "Tamriel Unlimited," on March 17. Unlike many MMOs, the game will also be available for Apple computers. In June, the game will also be out for the XBox and Playstation.

Players with subscriptions beyond March 17 will find their memberships changed to a Premium account, or "ESO Plus." Such accounts will have access to zones and quests regular ones do not, as well as "character progression bonuses," plus an income of "crowns," an in-game currency to spend at the game store on items like mounts.

The change to a pay-once-to-play MMO did not come as a surprise to Andy Chalk of PC Gamer, "this is an entirely unsurprising outcome. There are plenty of quality free-to-play MMO options already on the market. ... I don't think The Elder Scrolls Online was ever able to shed its reputation for being over-hyped and under-delivered, and generic fantasy MMO experiences just aren't enough to justify 15 bucks a month in this era." It was also noted that the game's price of $60 will be unchanged, "Add on the cost of future game packs, mounts, and whatever else catches your fancy, and I can't help but wonder if even the sub-free version of the game might be a little too pricey for its own good." Nydia's review of last year's beta stated that some of the bugs had yet to be worked out. In the opinion of this writer, it appears other gamers concluded the same and the game got off to a bad start, or it continued to underwhelm gamers whom had high expectations from the makers of Skyrim. 

Sources: PC Gamer, elderscrollsonline.com 

Bixyl Shuftan