Trey discusses why Zenimax's decision to go with a subscription model for the Elder Scrolls Online might not be a bad thing.
Season Zero: Dawn and Dusk is now live for all platforms (including PC/Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation), kicking off a new era for The Elder Scrolls Online. This inaugural Season is live from April 2 until July 8 and lays the foundation for all future Seasons by introducing new reward systems, the first wave of player-focused improvements, class and combat redesigns, new zones and challenges, and more.
Check out some of the rewards you can unlock and acquire in ESO’s first ever Tamriel Tome, arriving April 2, 2026.
Get an in-depth view of the future of ESO with the 2026 Seasons Direct, followed by two developer and community member roundtables. Join the team at ZeniMax Online Studios as they share the many ways ESO is evolving with new adventures, stories, challenges, and systems, plus get your first look at each Season arriving in 2026. A new age for The Elder Scrolls Online is about to begin!
Why I'm not OK with The Elder Scrolls Online Subscription model...BECAUSE IT HAS A SUBCRIPTION
That might be okay for PC gamers who already play a bunch of MMOs and are familiar with the subscription model and are ok with it, however it just doesn't fit console gaming imo, we are going to be paying for ps+ or Xbox live already, then pay for the price of the game (which is probably more than it's PC counterpart) then a game sub ? F that.
If it will be as addicting as vanilla and TBC WoW then I'm okay with a subscription (Of course I would prefer not to have one) since I didn't buy/play any other games at that time.
Though I doubt this will be as succesful as WoW. I think it will be another The Old Republic-scenario: Sells great the first month, then everybody quits playing and eventually the game will go F2P.
If PSN online play was still free I wouldn't care, but now that I'll be paying to play online Elder Scrolls Online is officially off my most anticipated list.
"If this game was not subscription based, could you really say that in 10 years time you’ll still be playing?"
Since the game is subscription based, I can really say for sure that in 10 years time I won't still be playing, and may not play at all. The vast majority of console players wouldn't be playing it in 10 years time even if it was F2P.
Subscription is the easy out for Zenimax.
F2P models take alot of thought and prediction, something Zeni has never done well. They just make a game and put it out, not alot of post game support,
I will not be subscribing to ESO.