The Elder Scrolls Online: Free-to-play or Not?
With all due respect to the super-enjoyable-looking WildStar, there's just one mega-huge MMO in the works this year, and that's The Elder Scrolls Online. ZeniMax Online Studios has kept details of the game pretty close to the vest, including the real biggie: Will it have a subscription or will it be free-to-play? There are arguments for and against each possibility:
The Elder Scrolls Online will have a subscription
A few years ago, we wouldn't have even been having this discussion. For an MMO of this size and scope, a subscription would have been automatic. Since development on TESO must have started several years ago, before F2P had a solid foothold in the West, this was almost certainly the plan from the start.
ZeniMax also seems to think of TESO as the Next Big Thing, and when you have the Next Big Thing, the natural compulsion is to wring as much money out of it as possible. I'm not saying this makes the company greedy; it's just sound business. That's certainly the opinion, right or wrong, that BioWare held with Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Finally, you'd think that, if the game was going to be free-to-play, it would have already been announced. That's generally good PR, and at the very least gets more people excited about the game and thinking they'll try it out. But their PR has been very low-key up to this point, so maybe they aren't looking for that big rush just yet.
The Elder Scrolls Online will be free-to-play
On the other hand, the fact that ZeniMax hasn't said one way or the other how they're going to go might be a sign that they're still working it out. As mentioned, a subscription was probably the original plan, so perhaps they're still crunching the numbers and haven't reached a final decision – or at least haven't committed to one they're ready to tell people about.
They also can't be totally ignorant of current trends. With very few big-name MMOs still having a subscription, they have to think that F2P is at least somewhere in the game's future. Maybe the plan is to launch with a sub and then go F2P after a year or so, but why not save yourself the headache and the “Oh, the game is dead, it's going F2P” negativity?
And let's not forget all the Elder Scrolls fans who are still very much lukewarm about TESO. Skyrim sold over 10 million copies, so that's 10 million potential players of the MMO. If TESO launches and opening sales are “only” in the two to three million range, will that be seen as a failure? Anything ZeniMax can do to boost those numbers – and free-to-play is the most obvious choice – has to be at least be considered.
The popular opinion is that we'll probably hear more about The Elder Scrolls Online, from the actual gameplay to payment models (and possibly pre-orders), around the time of E3 next month. Until then, what do you think? Will TESO require a subscription or not? My gut says “yes,” but my wallet says, “I hope not.”
Related Articles
About the Author
Jason Winter is a veteran gaming journalist, he brings a wide range of experience to MMOBomb, including two years with Beckett Media where he served as the editor of the leading gaming magazine Massive Online Gamer. He has also written professionally for several gaming websites.
More Stories by Jason WinterDiscussion (112)
Read Next
The question at this point, I think, isn't, “Will consoles embrace free-to-play?...
You May Enjoy
I have no clue why anyone would have contributed at all.
A "familiar face in the darkness" is revealed in the prologue for The War Within's 11.1 patch.
The update introduces the previously teased Dynamic Encampments and Resources, along with other features.
We don’t have long now.
It seems to me that Bethesda is touting this as single player-friendly, no doubt to pull in all the fans of Oblivion & Skyrim. In a lot of ways, it's advertised less as an MMO, but as the next big Elder Scrolls game... just playable with your friends. In that case, I'd imagine it would follow the model that those games followed, which is Guild Wars 2's model. Buy the game, and then you can play it. I never understood why MMO's only see "subscription-based" and "free-to-play" models, but not the "purchase the game and play online for free" model ArenaNet pioneered(?)
Of course, that's just my opinion...what do you guys think?
thankyou
@random casual gamers may be a larger pop then serious gamers.But they rarely spend that much money on a game.Most just play a f2p for a couple hours maybe a couple days then never come back again.Serious hardcore gamers like you said will be the ones to drop the cash needed to support the game.Honestly I don't see why casuals are called gamers when most of their so called gaming is spent on crap little time wasters like on facebook.The only reason these casuals even want to be called gamers is because it's considered hip.But none of them wanted to be called gamers or even associated to gaming 20 years ago.
hardcore players will spend even more money on cosmetics etc. to stand out among others and what not. if they really want money they should just adopt the new f2p package of having various account-level packages available to players who are hardcore to the series where they can obtain limited edition cosmetic items etc.
If this game fails, then MMOs are truly dead. Although I do not think it will fail at all.
Like what diablo II did. And that game was pretty successful.
In free to play we will find a lot of troll players.(which is a headache for some hardcore players)
free to play just brings in all the retards who cant afford games and just turn a good game into a shitpile.
B2P I might consider. I am not a huge fan of TES series, but since I already have Oblivion and Skyrim (and I rarely play on either of them) I might try TESO. Although Wildstar will most likely be the primary mmo for me.
F2P of course I'll check it out. Maybe play it casually since a few of my friends will play it too, but it still will go second after Wildstar. :)
Many people are flooding to the market because adding another monthly fee just for a game is illogical. Using f2p they will be able to populate the servers,while at the same time making the same or more from micro transactions.. If they choose the f2p model , how they run it will decide the life of the game.
Wildstar will be the next big thing. I think TESO will be lucky to get SWTOR numbers at best.
What I'll be looking forward to (only picked up bits of info, haven't dug too deep) is they say 'mega servers' basically all servers emulate to 1 world so there should masses of people about.
The realm vs realm is what I'll be playing most and it should be epic as in thousand vs thousand vs thousand (well that's what I got from one of the talk through vids, coupled with them stating they'll need thousands of ppl for beta to test this part)
Maybe about the most you'll get for GW2 is 70 vs 70 vs 70 on a map, I laugh when the company state epic fights in WvW
in regards to wildstar, could care less looks looks too cartoony too childish
I am not looking foward to the game f2p or not ... much better mmo's out there..
( My opinion - Skyrim looks terrible for a game which was developed in 6 years and turns out so buggy and has horrible textures on max settings.. it's just an insult to gaming. Companies like Ubisoft can make games less than 6 years and have rich and beautiful enviroments and I have never come across a serious bug that had to restart the whole game progress from their games)
Just like on the other topic you had posted, You keep leaving out the most possible scenario with the AAA title's, B2P with a decent item mall.
It worked wonders for TSW, and who know's even if it doe's go as a SUB ( I truely think it will ) It has to many loyal fans just about as popular as FF and to my knowledge none of them had gone F2P.
So with loyal fans of the franchise sub it may stay forever " If " they are not to greedy... Remeber Warhammer Online ..Fans still pay subs and still play, sure not as packed as launch but Fan's keep it that way.
ESO should be no diffrent due to Lore.Than maybe dropping to a B2P if Ever.
Inflictious