As of this time, it looks as if Xbox One owners will be required to pay both the yearly fee associated with Xbox One’s Gold membership and the recently announced $14.99 monthly subscription price just to see everything in The Elder Scrolls Online. That’s a big chunk of change to play a single game, and developer Bethesda understands that fact – even if people rarely buy Gold for one experience.
"We feel like most people such as yourself currently pay that subscription not to pay a game, but to play all games online,” Bethesda Softworks marketing boss Peter Hines told OXM. "So in that sense, when I'm playing Call of Duty online, I don't feel like I'm paying my monthly Xbox Live sub for Call of Duty. I'm just paying it because that's a thing that I do, and whatever game I'm playing at the time is the one that benefits.
"Having said that, we have been in talks with Microsoft about that very thing, and seeing whether or not there's any room to change their minds about that, for folks who are only playing The Elder Scrolls Online and don't want to pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription, just to play The Elder Scrolls Online.”
It’s the way things have been handled for some time, and it’ll likely be difficult for the developer to change Microsoft’s mind. But Hines did say that they’ll continue pushing for as long as it makes sense, with hopes that the fans won’t be bogged down with too great a fee from the game moving forward.
