Matt Firor of ZeniMax Online revealed today that Elder Scrolls Online will not follow a Free-To-Play model and will instead run on a £8.99 monthly subscription.
Many are surprised that The Elder Scrolls will follow the traditional MMO business design with rumors of it being Free-To-Play existing for a while.
Firor has stated in a recent interview with Gamestar that, “The Elder Scrolls games are all about allowing the player to go where they want, be who they want, and do what they want. We feel that putting pay gates between the player and content at any point in game ruins that feeling of freedom…one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better.”
Commenting on other business models Firor says, “it’s important to state that our decision to go with subscriptions is not a referendum on online game revenue models. F2P, B2P, etc. are valid, proven business models – but subscription is the one that fits ESO the best.
Firor wanted to reaffirm that ESO is built for one reason, for the entertainment of the gamers.
“The fact that the word “monetized” exists points to the heart of the issue for us: We don’t want the player to worry about which parts of the game to pay for – with our system, they get it all.”
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