gaming Did Bethesda/ZeniMax kill The Elder Scrolls Online?

[long gone 8,929]

I'll be honest here: I was looking forward to The Elder Scrolls Online when it was announced. It had a lot of promise to it, over time ZeniMax addressed fan feedback and made the game feel more like a traditional TES game and early alpha previews were very positive. However, in the wake of Gamescon, my enthusiasm for the game has died down.

 

First, there's the $60 price tag.

Then, there's the $15 subscription fee you have to pay monthly on top of that $60.

Then, there's microtransactions, although according to ZeniMax they're not "part of the core gameplay."

Then, there's the requirement for PlayStation+ or Xbox Live Gold for the console versions to play online.

 

To justify the development costs of the game, they'll need to attract a large audience. Due to all the recent developments, they're basically killing off that audience, effectively killing off the game. So, what do you think? Did Bethesda/ZeniMax kill off The Elder Scrolls Online? Do you still have hope for the game? Based on how they responded to player feedback earlier on, do you think they'll pull a 180° on some of the policies and alter them to satisfy player demands? And are the costs of the game too steep to justify the subscription price?

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

No, for multiple reasons. For an MMO, that actually looks like a LOW monthly fee. In addition, Microtransactions are just a part of gaming now, as horrible as they may be. As for needing Playstation+ or Xbox Live Gold, Playstation+ is free, and most people who would be looking into this kind of thing who own an Xbox probably already have Gold anyway.

[Zygen 6,066]

Well I haven't been following it that closely and while 60 bucks doesnt throw me off playing it the 15 buck subscription will. It's a bit much for me personally.

 

Oh and micro transactions on top of that is kinda a jerk move. I can see it on free games but it feels greedy on subscription games.

 

I don't think I'll really be able to afford it frankly.

 

So me personally I guess they kinda detoured me, dunno about others.

 

I guess I'm kinda a cheapskate for mmos really .

Edited August 25, 2013 by Zygen

[long gone 8,929]

 

 

Playstation+ is free

PlayStation+ is a subscription service for the normally-free PlayStation Network (and will also be required for online play on the PS4, unless the game is a F2P MMO), so no, PS+ isn't free. It's basically Sony's version of Xbox Live Gold, just with more benefits for the end user in order to attract subscriptions.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

PlayStation+ is a subscription service for the normally-free PlayStation Network (and will also be required for online play on the PS4, unless the game is a F2P MMO), so no, PS+ isn't free. It's basically Sony's version of Xbox Live Gold, just with more benefits for the end user in order to attract subscriptions.

Sorry for the confusion about that.

 

Either way, console gaming always has been and always will be inferior to PC gaming in just so many ways, and it has always especially stood out for the Elder Scrolls in terms of their superiority to their console counterparts, so if I get the Elder Scrolls Online I'll just play it on PC anyway. 

Edited August 25, 2013 by Jacob Danik

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think it is possible to kill The Elder Scrolls but, I don't think that they will since they have customers that play on the PC and consoles so even if you have to pay to play online you could just play it on the PC instead. In my opinion, I would play it on the PC.

[Commissar Alexer 763]

Danm, that's kinda expensive (at least for me).

 

I have the fear that this game awaits the same fate like with Star Wars the old republic. Depending only on the Elder Scrolls brand could be an mistake.

 

Well, let' see how this will end...

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

I refuse to pay subscription fees for games. Ever. So they've definitely lost my business. However, for some reason there are plenty of people who have no problem paying subscription fees, so the game may still be successful. Although my impression is that fifteen dollars a month is pretty high.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Alex Kennedy

[MichaelxXxTrixie 433]

P2P wasn't bad some years ago but considering how there's so many F2P games out there I don't think The Elder Scrolls Online will last very long as a P2P.

 

I'm predicting they'll fall back into the F2P market sometime soon.

[long gone 8,929]

Excuse me for using IGN as they aren't typically the greatest source for gaming news, but in this video they do bring up some very good points.

 

http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/23/game-scoop-did-elder-scrolls-online-just-commit-suicide

 

• Every other MMO launched recently (Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, for example) has gone F2P after a certain amount of time
• ZeniMax is using the same arguments that BioWare did to justify the subscription cost (that it allows them to deliver a game that players want)
• If there's enough endgame content to keep players busy after the endgame, then the game can survive, if not then it'll end up in the same situations as TOR and DCUO where everyone was faced with nothing to do at the end of the games and canceled their subscriptions.
• Console gamers complain about every dollar they have to spend on a game.

[Foreigner And Lover 207]

If it were 10 dollars, I might have considered it. I just don't have the money to spend. Seriously, combined with PS+, you're paying $290 for the first year. I might look at FFXIV ARR, but $10 is still pushing it for me. Besides, I can still get a good  enough experience with Skyrim. I don't think that multiplayer is worth $240.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

I haven't played, but when I fold out it was nothing like Oblivion or Skyrim and just another generic MMO it really killed my interest, so there's that. I would have loved to get something with the same amount of detail and depth as Skyrim, but mutliplayer.  

[long gone 8,929]

I haven't played, but when I fold out it was nothing like Oblivion or Skyrim and just another generic MMO it really killed my interest, so there's that. I would have loved to get something with the same amount of detail and depth as Skyrim, but mutliplayer.  

According to alpha and beta playtesters, the gameplay is, as it is right now, is very close to Skyrim, just with more players wandering around killing people instead of doing quests doing things. The lockpicking minigame is also close to the one in Oblivion, just more 3D.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

According to alpha and beta playtesters, the gameplay is, as it is right now, is very close to Skyrim, just with more players wandering around killing people instead of doing quests doing things. The lockpicking minigame is also close to the one in Oblivion, just more 3D.

 

Really? Someone was telling me it feels more like a WoW clone that a elder scrolls game as of right now(and isn't even first-person)

[long gone 8,929]

Really? Someone was telling me it feels more like a WoW clone that a elder scrolls game as of right now(and isn't even first-person)

Their information is outdated then. I haven't played the beta myself, but they removed the hotbar and replaced it with the three health/magicka/stamina bars from Skyrim, moved movement controls from the mouse to the WSAD keys and added in first-person a long time ago.

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I know a lot of you will disagree but:

Elder Scrolls should've always been dead. Every one I played sucks terribly in some way.

[Jammo 986]

I feel like they did. The subscription based MMO is dying. No game since WoW has done well using this method. It's been the only success story in almost 9 years now. Even WoW is losing steam largely because there's an oversaturation of addictive entertainment and paying monthly or one game is something less and less people want to do. Especially new users. WoW could still have over 10 million subs if they could bring in new blood and convince them 15 a month is worth paying. The sad fact of he matter is there's just so many addictive games now, many of which are dirt cheap and it takes a lot more convincing now to bring in a new younger audience.

 

There's also the concern of content. They better be dedicated to deliver content long term. Part of to reason for WoWs success is that they continue to support it. Is Zenimax going to enjoy their success at first but lose payers attention quickly like SWTOR? (Part of my over saturation theory is that when a new content patch is out players burn through it too quickly and due to attention spans these days thy get bored and want to do something else). WoW is making content faster than ever now because they realize how fast people lose interest these days.

 

A Guild Wars 2 method would have been smarter. Just my opinion.

[Celtore 2,770]

I can understand the need for a subscription and asking for an opening price really isn't that big a deal.

 

What I think is a big deal is the micro transactions on the top of all that. Guild wars 2's plan was to have an initial price and to lure people inwith micro transactions and it appears to have worked. The thing now is to get some permanent content for me to return, but that is beside the point. ESO is trying to use every method to rake in as much cash as possible, pretty greedy if you ask me and a bit concerning.

 

What are they planning to sell through these micro transactions and will they have an affect on players that don't want to buy them? Based on what ive gathered of the nature of this model and the interview, I fear they might be highly desirable items and mounts unobtainable anywhere else. That in a subscription based game would be rubbish.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Celtore

[Ocelot8 2]

I was going to buy the game but I refuse to pay more than once for anygame, I like a nice one off payment. Elder Scrolls should be mainly single player anyway or at least have a single player funtion for people who don't want to need an internet connection to play.

[YALL ARE FUCKING GAY 505]

yup they done fucked up again 

 

first skyrim with its incredibly unstable gameplay on all platforms and meager dlc ( i think they released the game too early ) 

 

and now THIS 

 

Bethesda can fuck off for all i care now they fucked us around too much to pull this bullshit 

[The Mane-iac 1,648]

First, there's the $60 price tag.

Then, there's the $15 subscription fee you have to pay monthly on top of that $60.

Then, there's microtransactions, although according to ZeniMax they're not "part of the core gameplay."

Then, there's the requirement for PlayStation+ or Xbox Live Gold for the console versions to play online.

 

• Standard game price for a console, not surprised.
• This I don't agree with anymore. This is the only reason I no longer play WoW and have moved onto better games anyways such as GW2 or TERA.
• Not surprising to see these in the game. So long as they are not "Pay to Win" I don't care. Even WoW is gaining an in-game micro-transaction store soon (already on the PTR).
• Not surprising either since I think every game that requires true online play has required these. I can't say for sure though since I only play these types of games on a PC where it is free and the controls are more manageable, but I know XBOX is this way at least.

 

 

I might still get it, but if the monthly fee doesn't get dropped I doubt I'll play for long. I just can't justify it when GW2, TERA, and basically every other MMO released within the last five years have gone FTP or always were. Still looks amazing though and still very hyped to actually see an online Elder Scrolls which is something I've been wanting since my time playing Morrowind. I just wish they would fix Argonians and Khajiit to actually have beast legs again rather than just being re-skinned humans with a tail.

Edited August 26, 2013 by Puddlejumper

[DusK 1,264]

A monthly fee being necessary for upkeep is a myth. If your game is good, box sales more than cover the cost of upkeep as well as content development. Look up the annual reports of any AAA developer running a successful MMO, crunch those numbers, and you'll discover that a subscription fee is quite literally free money going to the CEOs and shareholders.

 

With that said, simply asking if they "killed" ESO with their cash-grab pricing isn't enough. Did they kill it for intelligent gamers who look for value in addition to gameplay? Yes. Did they kill it for your typical dudebro kids who, after experiencing Skyrim, will eat up this game like they devour CoD and Halo games every year? Definitely not, at least for a month or two. The suckers will stay for longer.

 

Subscription fees are no longer a viable pricing model for MMORPGs. This isn't 1998. Upkeep costs aren't nearly as high as they were a decade ago. Ship a game that isn't crap, and box revenue will pay for the game's own upkeep and development while still providing a sizable profit margin.

Edited August 26, 2013 by DusK

[long gone 8,929]

 

 

first skyrim with its incredibly unstable gameplay on all platforms and meager dlc ( i think they released the game too early ) 

Five years of development is "too early"? That seems like a more than adequate development time for a massive, open-world game with hundreds of quests and plenty of people to kill to me.

[FabulousJeremy 48]

No, for multiple reasons. For an MMO, that actually looks like a LOW monthly fee. In addition, Microtransactions are just a part of gaming now, as horrible as they may be. As for needing Playstation+ or Xbox Live Gold, Playstation+ is free, and most people who would be looking into this kind of thing who own an Xbox probably already have Gold anyway.

Really?  Because to me that looked like an AVERAGE monthly fee.  After all, that's what I was paying when playing World of Warcraft and other subscription MMOs have had that price or something around it.  Heck, that's what Xbox Live has been costing for a while.

 

Also I imagine subscription fees are going to be phased out with time.  There are so many free to play MMOs who have a business strategy that revolves around microtransactions.  Service fees aren't part of the system.  Also, one of the more popular MMOs with a price on it out right now, Guild Wars 2, has no subscription fee.

 

I don't see how people will be compelled to buy this game unless they're die-hard elder scrolls fans or players who agree with the price.  And really, I don't think you'll find too many people that do with the building age of free to play MMOs.

Edited August 26, 2013 by FabulousJeremy

[Guest]

TES:O died because it was outsourced, to a non-experienced company, since this was their first real BIG project.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Guest