Wednesday Bethesda announced a new subscription-free model for The Elder Scrolls Online and took to Twitch to share the details of the new system, as well as the upcoming console release for PlayStation 4 and XBox One.
In the live stream, Bethesda’s Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing sat with Game Director Matt Firor and Creative Director Paul Sage to discuss the impetus for the changes, as well as to explain how the new features will work.
In Wednesday’s Twitch stream, Bethesda released the fourth and final part of the trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.
Beginning March 17, The Elder Scrolls Online will move to a “buy to play” model – that is, users will initially purchase the game, but will not have to pay a subscription fee. Those dedicated fans who choose to continue to subscribe to gain premium access (now called “ESO Plus”) will receive a number of perks to reward their loyalty to the game, including:
- 1500 complimentary Crowns (the new in-game currency) per 30-day membership period
- Access to all downloadable content
- 10% bonus to experience earned
- 10% faster crafting research times
- 10% increase to crafting inspiration gain
- 10% bonus to gold acquisition
The hosts of the Twitch stream also discussed the new Crown Store, a micro-transaction system which Firor emphasized sells items of “customization and convenience” such as costumes, new mounts and pets, as well as potions that can be purchased in the regular in-game stores (but that are not as good as player-crafted items).
The new Crown Store will sell costumes for users who want to customize their armor to suit different professions or occasions without losing the armor’s bonuses.
As of this new system, the game will be known as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, and a series of DLC will herald the arrival of the game to consoles, expanding the in-game world in a way that will be scaleable to player level. The DLC will be free to subscribers of ESO Plus as well as available for a la carte purchase for those who choose not to subscribe.
To read more about the console release, check out the press release here.
