Bethesda has announced that their upcoming MMORPG, Elder Scroll Online, will have a monthly subscription fee, rather than being free to play.
Since the announcement of Elder Scrolls Online, there have been rumors that the game would be free-to-play, like many recent MMORPGs that have been released in the recent past.
It was confirmed by Matt Firor of ZeniMax Online at Gamescom 2013 that EOS will include a monthly subscription fee of $14.99.
Firor said that the decision to implement the more traditional, yet risky, path of monthly subscriptions was made because it is the model that seems to suit player’s and business’ best interests.
By implementing a monthly subscription, players would not run into roadblocks that would prevent them to have a true Elder Scrolls experience, as a large part of the draw of the games is the ability to be whoever, do whatever and go wherever the player desires.
Firor stated:
“The Elder Scrolls games are all about allowing the player to go where they want, be who they want, and do what they want,” Firor said. “We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom, and just having one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play. The Elder Scrolls Online was designed and developed to be a premium experience: hundreds of hours of gameplay, tons of depth and features, professional customer support – and a commitment to have ongoing content at regular intervals after launch. This type of experience is best paired with a one-time fee per month, as opposed to many smaller payments that would probably add up to more than $14.99/month any way.”
Players will be offered unlimited play and access to EOS content for the first 30 days of purchase, and afterwards players will have the option to continue paying a flat fee for continued, unlimited access.
Elder Scrolls Online will be released in 2014 for pc, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
