Last year held a notable amount of MMO releases. The animated and cartoony "Wildstar" released early in the year, and "Destiny" offered console users their first MMORPG. On top of that, "World of Warcraft" and "Star Wars: The Old Republic" both released expansion packs that changed the entire game. But before any of those games, there was "Elder Scrolls Online," a continuation of Bethesda's high-fantasy adventure series.
The game gained a lot of popularity on release day, but the overhyped marketing and mediocre gameplay caused many to abandon their accounts and turn to other MMOs. Now, in a move to gain players back, "The Elder Scrolls Online" will no longer require players to have a subscription to play.
Bethesda announced in a blog post that "ESO" will be re-released in the following months as "Tamriel Unlimited." Players will have to purchase the game up front, but they won't be required to pay additional funds to access the basic content.
However, that doesn't mean that Bethesda is abandoning the subscription method. All players who were paying for a subscription will have their account automatically upgraded to an "ESO Plus" account, which will give players access to the higher level areas and content.
An in-game currency of crowns will be added to the game. Players can use this currency to pay for armor, weapons, visual customization and optional content. ESO Plus account owners will have instant access to the optional content, as well as receiving a monthly allotment of crowns to spend as they wish.
On top of that, Bethesda is following Destiny's path and allowing PS4 and Xbox One players to buy and play the game on their consoles.
"ESO" players will receive the "Tamriel Unlimited" update for free on March 17. The PS4 and Xbox One versions of "ESO" will be available for purchase on June 7.
This move isn't surprising. Earlier rumors and reports from Bethesda and the fan base made it clear that the makers were considering removing the subscription. The additions of ESO Plus and crowns also seems consistent with how most MMOs are staying alive. It's extremely hard for subscription-based MMOs to stay alive. There are some (such as "World of Warcraft") that have had no problems maintaining a steady flow of players and content.
