The Elder Scrolls Online is a massive online role-playing game that lets you join up with your friends to explore the vast realm of Tamriel, the world featured in various high-fantasy games like Oblivion and Skyrim.
Bethesda Softworks has just dropped the subscription model from its award-winning massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, and is bringing the massive virtual world to current-generation consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as updating the PC and Mac versions of the game to The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.
New players will pay a one-time fee for the whole game, without a monthly fee cramping their style, starting on console in June and March 17 for PC/Mac players.
“Our fans are our biggest inspiration, and we’ve listened to their feedback on the entertainment experience they want,” said game director Matt Firor in a statement. “We know that Elder Scrolls fans want choice when it comes to how they play and how they pay, and that is what they will get. We have made numerous changes to the game over the past year, and are confident this is a game that Elder Scrolls fans will love to play.”
The new Tamriel Unlimited edition will include all the same stuff from the original PC/Mac version of the game, as well as all the new updates and content editions, including the new Justice and Champion systems.
If you have an existing account, open or closed, you’ll get an invitation to return to Tamriel in March. New players will pay for the game once and then play as much or as little as they want.
The new business model is one that Sony Online Entertainment has been successful with in the past with DC Universe and Planetfall — there will be special, optional downloadable content and customization items available for purchase, much like many free-to-play computer and mobile games. There will also be a special club you can join, called ESO Plus, that will give you exclusive in-game bonuses, a monthly allowance of in-game currency to spend in the online store, and access to all DLC game packs. All of this will be available for a monthly fee, letting hardcore Elder Scrolls Online players continue to support the game.
