For those of you who are eager to get your MMO on in Tamriel, some recent news may take some of that wind out of your sails. If, however, money is no object, carry on with your anticipation. While those who populate the World of Warcraft are probably asking what the fuss is about, the fact that the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online will feature a monthly subscription rate of $14.99 a month apparently caught some by surprise, at least according to Twitter. Those familiar with the MMORPG traditional business model–before dreaded microtransactions moved in–expected something along these lines, but for others, it appears as if Bethesda and ZeniMax may have just lost some potential customers with their confirmation of the subscription price.
In an interview with Gamestar.de, Matt Firor, General Manager of ZeniMax Online, did just that:
Since you’ve been so forthcoming, could you also reveal the available subscriptions? How much will a month of ESO cost?
We’ll go into details on this later, but the basic monthly charge will be $14.99/€12.99/£8.99 and expect some discounts if you buy multiple months at a time. We’ll also support game time cards as well as a variety of payment methods.
From the sound of it, players will be able to buy subscription gift cards that will secure blocks of time, much like WoW’s Game Time. Judging by the reaction on Twitter, apparently, some people were hoping for the Free-To-Play/microtransaction model instead of paying a monthly subscription after the base game has been purchased:
@TESOnline this a huge let down. I supported this company from day one. Give me back B2P.
— Kenny (@Aznpanda510) August 21, 2013
$15 Monthly for Elder Scrolls Online. I give it a year and a half before it's free to play with micro-trans, and that's if its still afloat.
— Zack Young (@YoungZM) August 21, 2013
I was legit interested in The Elder Scrolls Online. The first time a MMO grabbed my attention. Until the pricing came through. #nopenopenope
— Steve M (@StevilSkittles) August 21, 2013
It's too bad about Elder Scrolls Online. As much as I like the series, I can't justify a monthly fee like that.
— Bryan Johnson (@Spilmiester) August 21, 2013
Congrats to The Elder Scrolls Online for jumping to the top of the "shit I can't bring myself buy but I really really want" list.
— Ryan Loney (@Doomwerk) August 21, 2013
“@PeterSkerritt: Elder Scrolls Online (console): $60 XBL/PS+ sub fee: $50+ Monthly ESO sub fee: $15/month 12 month total: $290+." #bullshit
— th3 JynXXX (@th3_JynXXX) August 21, 2013
However, at least one lone dissenter prefers the monthly charge to having to buy essential in-game items while they’re playing:
Ok The Elder Scrolls Online I guess its better to have Monthly Sub than a FTP game you have to buy shit with money to ascend in the game
— Krutch (@mKRUTCH) August 21, 2013
That, however, seems to represent the minority reaction, but then again, maybe some of the negativity is from people following the current trend. With that in mind, which side of the fence are you on? The “Hell yeah more Skyrim” side that will pay willingly or the side that says the hell with monthly subscriptions? [Lead image via]
