Elder Scrolls Online drops subscription, gets PS4 and Xbox One release date

Bethesda Softworks is dropping the required monthly subscription for ZeniMax Online Studios' massively multiplayer online role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls Online. In announcing a June 9, 2015 worldwide release date for the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, Bethesda also revealed that players will no longer be required to pay a monthly game subscription for extended play.

To make the switch in this business model more clear to players, the game will now be called The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.

"Players will make a one-time purchase of the game and can then enjoy hundreds of hours of content without the requirement of a monthly game subscription fee when The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited becomes available on console in June and beginning March 17 for PC/Mac players," Bethesda explained.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited will offer the same gameplay from the original PC/Mac game, plus all of the game updates and content additions that have been released since launch, including the Justice and Champion systems. Bethesda says all existing PC/Mac accounts, whether open or closed, will be updated to the Tamriel Unlimited Edition in March, and former players will be invited back to experience the new world. New players will be able to make a one-time purchase of the game and play for free without any sort of restrictions.

Tamriel Unlimited will switch to a microtransaction system supported with "special, optional downloadable content" and "an in-game Crown Store for convenience and customization items." Alternatively, players can opt to subscribe to ESO Plus, a premium membership service that will provide exclusive in-game bonuses, a monthly allotment of crowns to use in the store and access to all DLC game packs (while a member), for a single monthly charge.

“Our fans are our biggest inspiration, and we’ve listened to their feedback on the entertainment experience they want,” said game director Matt Firor. “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. Players can explore Tamriel with friends, battle creatures, craft, fish, steal, or siege. The choice is theirs. The game offers hundreds of hours of gameplay with unlimited adventures with one single game purchase. We can’t wait for everyone, whether they’ve played before or will be experiencing it for the first time, to begin adventuring in The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.”

Hard to say I didn't see this one coming. The monthly subscription MMO is dying out as more and more games switch to a free-to-play business model. Elder Scrolls Online hasn't completely become free-to-play, as it still requires you to buy the base game to play it, but the removal of the monthly subscription should encourage players to at least stick around. Aside from World of Warcraft, there's very few games that can convince players to pay a monthly fee to play their game. And why should they with so much competition out there?

***NOTE: We updated some of the wording in this article to better reflect the business model that Bethesda is switching to with The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. We previously said it would be free-to-play, but that's not technically right as it still requires you to buy the base game to play it. All that was removed was the monthly subscription.***