The Elder Scrolls: Online will avoid the free-to-play contenders reaching for the crown and enter its lifecycle as a subscription-based product, Zenimax Online Studios president Matt Firor revealed today. Like World of Warcraft and many other online-focused games before it, this Bethesda product will hold a monthly price of $14.99/€12.99/£8.99 after the first free month.
Instead of locking certain features behind a fee, Firor told Gamestar that The Elder Scrolls is just better suited for a single, monthly charge that opens the entire experience.
"We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom, and just having one small monthly fee for 100 percent access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play," Firor said.
"The Elder Scrolls Online was designed and developed to be a premium experience: hundreds of hours of gameplay, tons of depth and features, professional customer support–and a commitment to have ongoing content at regular intervals after launch," he added. "This type of experience is best paired with a one-time fee per month, as opposed to many smaller payments that would probably add up to more than $14.99/month anyway."
That doesn’t mean that free-to-play games aren’t worth your time and money. Firor sees the value in building a game in this way, as the barrier to entry is much, much lower.
"But subscription is the one that fits ESO the best, given our commitment to freedom of gameplay, quality and long-term content delivery," Firor said. "Plus, players will appreciate not having to worry about being 'monetized' in the middle of playing the game, which is definitely a problem that is cropping up more and more in online gaming these days.
"The fact that the word ‘monetized’ exists points to the heart of the issue for us," Firor continued. "We don't want the player to worry about which parts of the game to pay for–with our system, they get it all."
If you’re interested in seeing just what your money will get you, take a look at some recently discovered, uncut gameplay of this massive world.
