The ‘Elder Scrolls Online’ celebrated its one year anniversary last April 4, and publisher Bethesda Softworks marked the occasion by posting a community tribute video on their official blog. The eleven-minute long video contains a compilation of various fans sharing their messages of support to the developers and the community as thanks for ESO.
The massive multiplayer online game has undergone huge changes since its debut last year. Earlier this year, the game’s active subscription model was changed to no longer be necessary. ESO instead has chosen to employ a different revenue model, where instead of buying game time, players have the option of buying additional content via DLCs, or accessing new customization options. Players still have the option of paying a monthly fee to receive free access to the DLCs and a monthly stipend at the Crown Store, where the customizations can be purchased.
While some fans are still happy with the game, ESO has received its fair share of criticism which partially explains the move to the free-to-play model. Issues have ranged from numerous in-game bugs to its polarizing phasing system, which made group questing unwieldy.
With ESO not receiving the universal praise that past Elder Scrolls games have enjoyed, there is now greater fan anticipation for a follow-up to the massively popular ‘Skyrim’ in the form of ‘Elder Scrolls VI’. While the game still has not been officially announced, rumors online suggest that ‘Bethesda’ could potentially announce it this year at the E3 convention.
For now, however, Bethesda seems content to continue supporting ESO. Console versions of ESO will be made available to the PS4 and the Xbox One consoles on June 9 later this year. The active subscription requirement will also be waived for console users. Following the console release of ESO, more news regarding future projects such as ‘ES6’ should be more forthcoming.