'The Elder Scrolls Online' Should Choose Between $60 Up Front Or $15 A Month

Yesterday, the press embargo was finally broken for The Elder Scrolls Online, and their reactions largely seemed to match those of players ignoring the NDA of the closed beta weeks earlier.

[Eonjay]

Problem with TESO is that if you dont like it and stop your subscription, you have still paid full price for a game you can't play. This is no good. If the $60 covered you for offline play that would be better because at least you could still play it if you weren't sold on the subscription.

[thekhurg]

It's a MMO. The O part stands for ONLINE. If you don't like the game, you don't play it, same as any game in the world.

[cleft5]

If ESO has a monthly fee than it is dead. The game isn't bad, but it is so incredibly generic, outside of voice acting, that it leaves you wondering why you would ever pay a monthly fee for it. Now if they where to go with a $60 fee like Guild Wars 2 did and than sell stuff with microtransactions the game become much more viable. As it stands now, most people are better off waiting until it's a F2P game.

[Volkama]

@cleft5

Not being a f2p game is one of the best things about it. I'll subscribe and keep playing so long as I feel the content delivery is worth the price and I enjoy the game.

If/when it goes free to play (or introduces XP consumables and horse armour even with the subscription) I will stop playing.

That may well happen, the game may even be more successful in fan reaction and revenue when it does. But it will be dead to me.

[kazuma999]

How long have world of warcraft survived with this module? lol

[Rachel_Alucard]

The game has every possible way an MMO can charge you. Starting with the 60$ payment, the 15$ sub, plus a cash shop. It's even worse if you were buying this on Xbone because you have to pay for gold on top of this. Pure cash-in on the franchise.

I played it and it was so generic and the combat was floaty and it was just a miserable waste of so much money Zenimax blew on it. The team that made Skyrim/Oblivion/Fallout 3 has nothing to do with this game, and Todd Howard himself said nothing in this game is canon and even he knows its trash.

This game will sell only because of the popularity of Skyrim, literally everyone will drop it after the free month and move on. If this game does well however, the rest of the market gets affected and shows that a poorly done cash-in on a famous IP makes millions. Suddenly, the canceled Halo MMO comes back from the dead.

[ZodTheRipper]

I would buy it without the monthly subscription.

[Spenok]

Exactly. All MMO's that are Pay to Play are this way. Always have been. You pay to buy the software, and pay every month after the first free one and go from there. If you dislike the game, then cancel your subscription and move on.

30 days is more than enough to decide if you like the game or not. Though MMOs ALWAYS evolve over time, and generally get massively better then at launch. It's usually a decent idea to consider waiting a few months to let the get kinks out and add content etc.

[wannabe gamer]

offline ?? huh its an MMO lol they dont have offline play. it comes with one month of play time also

[redwin]

I think he is thinking on a return on that $60 if you cancelled your subscription, I happen to agree. But if it was a free download and it's $60 a year and no microtransactons then it will be awesome and ill definitely get it. But it's that initial $60 that's the problem. What if you don't like the game in one or two months ? You are out of $60 and never again buy another Elderscroll game.

[ovnipc]

I played the beta and its good. I dont want it to be f2p full of microtransactions. They should make it $60 once or $15 a month I agree.

[SneeringImperialist]

It's hardly 'good' it is probably one of the worst and most generic mmo's I have ever played, and I've played DCUO!

[frostypants]

Should be $20 for a copy of the game, and $10/month online...with no console paid service required. Even then, that would only solve the cost issues of this game. The game itself looks like every other crappy MMORPG, rather than an Elder Scrolls experience.

As things stand now, this game is laughably DOA. Someone is going to go bankrupt over this...count on that. Hopefully things are structured so that Zenimax takes the full financial hit, rather than Bethesda.

[epoxe]

"Problem with TESO is that if you dont like it and stop your subscription, you have still paid full price for a game you can't play"

How is this different than any other game?!

[_LarZen_]

If people continue to expect stuff for free aka F2P. The industry is going to be in more trouble then it already is.

[Fizzgig]

GW2 is practically free to play and I've spent loads of money buying stuff in game. Planetside 2 is free to play and I've spent loads of money on that too. In this day and age, it has to be something special to warrant a full purchase price AND a monthly subscription fee.

[_LarZen_]

I agree. That's why you get a premium mmorpg experience with ESO.

That's why you pay. That said it's of course to early to say if it will be worth it. Wont know that before it has been out a while.

[Fizzgig]

I played beta this weekend, and there's nothing premium about it. Very average IMHO.

[mydyingparadiselost]

I gave you a disagree on accident, please accept my apologies :)

[Fizzgig]

Apology accepted @mydyingparadiselost :)

[Jdoki]

Premium??

Everything I have heard about the game points to it being very poor.

"Floaty" combat
Generic
Average graphics
Boring

Normally I wouldn't comment on something I have not played myself, but there's too much info out there (despite the NDA) to ignore.

Even if ESO turns out to be the best MMO ever, I still wouldn't pay full price for it PLUS subscription PLUS microntransactions

[frostypants]

Do you know the term "false dichotomy"? It is possible for them to price the game more reasonably without making it F2P. $60 + $15/month + microtransactions + console paywall (for the One at least) is unprecedented.

[Summons75]

Why is it that ESO is such a big deal about paying for a game than a subscription which goes to make sure the online is stable when FF14ARR makes you pay the games price plus a sub and Warcraft makes you pay for the game plus the expansions AND a sub.....but it's perfectly okay for them?

You're acting ridiculous, 15 bucks goes to helping the game making sure new content is being made, making sure servers are stable and up to date...

No one is holding a gun to your head. You wanna be cheap go play those awful F2P/P2W games.

[qu1ckset]

I'm 12days into my 30sub you get free when you buy FF14ARR and I've yet to be convinced this is with the monthly sub , graphics and game are fun but not with that sub to me yet... Same thing with SWTOR I was a day one player and the endgame content , and much needed features were lacking so I left swtor.

I will grab ESO when it price drops I'm in no rush... Mainly waiting for a English released PSO2

[KonsoruMasuta]

WoW and FF:ARR both have a lower initial cost. Elders Scrolls is $60 upfront and WoW and FF:ARR are both $30.

[Jdoki]

@Summons75

Because most new MMO's don't try charging full RRP for a subscription MMO (like FFXIV which is cheap, even on PS4)

Expansions are optional. And besides that, what guarantee do we have that ESO will never charge for expansions in future

Awful F2P games? You mean like Knights of the Old Republic? Or Planetside 2, or DC Universe Online? Or even Neverwinter? Or those games where you pay a small upfront cost for the game then subscribe, like FFXIV? Or those games like Guild Wars 2 which costs full price up front then is F2P and not P2W?

The big deal about ESO is that it is full price plus subscription plus shoehorns in micro transactions too. It wants it all, and at the moment hasn't shown anything that makes it look like it's worth it.

[Stick89]

While I've always thought $60 was a bit steap for the box price of an MMO, they almost always include at least a month free inside so it helps dent it a little. They make a lot of their initial game investment back off the box sales so I can't really fault them for doing it. Subscriptions aren't meant to make up the investment, they are meant to keep the servers running and pay for updates to the game.

[TheUberAsian]

I would rather pay $60 up front then never have pay again than pay $15 a month!!!

[VENOMACR1227]

Yea def for sure. Paying $15 a month? No thanks. Not paying over $150 a year just to play a game that's ridiculous.

[Seafort]

This game is not $60 for everyone else outside the US.

It's £50 here in UK which is approx $82. This is for the digital PC version.
The PS4/Xbone version are the same price.
Then there is a £9/month and in game cash shop.

Guild Wars 2 was £50 at launch too but it has no sub just a cash shop and the GW2 devs add more content all the time. So that statement about the monthly sub paying for a superior experience and to add more content is BS.

After playing the PC beta this weekend they'll need more than $15/month if you want a superior experience.

If you just want an Elder Scrolls experience just play Skyrim it'll be cheaper in the long run :)

[hankmoody]

I simply don't play enough games as of late because I don't have the time. I just can't see myself paying the monthly subscription fee just to have the game sitting there, not getting enough play time while I'm playing other things.

[kingdom18]

But you see though you don't have to pay for it if your going to play something else, if you want to play again just pay for a month of the service, that's what I don't understand with people when it comes to a subscription you don't have to keep paying unless you want to play and I don't see me at least playing the game every single month. You get what I'm saying?

[hankmoody]

$15 seems a little steep. I'd love to check the game out but I just can't swing that rate. If they make it easy to cancel the sub and pay when you want to play, then maybe I'll reconsider.

[Rickgrimes95]

Don't want to toot my own horn or nothing but I said this shit 6 months ago. I would gladly purchase the game for 60$ or I would gladly pay 15$ a month with no up front 60$ charge. But I will never pay over 200 in one year for just one game that's 3 60$ games I could by with that money with. 3 months of ps plus so no thanks ESO I'll play when it's free and it will be free this game isn't even on the pre order charts for consoles

[wannabe gamer]

man console gamers sure are mad about having to pay a sub for the first time ever. they are so used to paying minimal or nothing and getting low to average quality from it that they dont realize what a sub pays for and why it is needed.

[HacSawJimThugin]

When you say low to average quality, what pray tell are you referring to? The Last of Us, Forza 5, Ryse, GTA 5. They are all console exclusives that offer amazing experiences yet you seem to think that console games are " low to average quality". Hmm. Please forgive my ignorance but could you enlighten me as to which game(s) on PC that are exclusive to it have had the same amount of success both critically and commercially as the aforementioned games above...within the last year? *cues jeopardy music*

I'm not trying to bait a PC vs console debate, that's corny but I just want to understand what you mean by low to average quality.

[wannabe gamer]

im not referring to singleplayer games of course. i thought tha twas obvious since the topic is about an mmo. im referring to online experience and continued support and content additions, beyond map packs and piss poor DLC consoles have never had a game that runs for years and years with constant support and content being added.

[HacSawJimThugin]

@wannabe gamer

If companies try and follow the B.S. Bethesda is trying to put that your assessment will continue to be the case. They can't honestly believe that this model will go over well with the console market and they will see it come launch. How are do they have the audacity to ask a market that has never done anything like this before to support such an extreme?

I was interested in this game until the sub fee was announced and I'm sure that of console gamers were as well. I do not game on PC nor do I hate on it but sub fees are new to me and my friends. I am not saying that we are completely opposed to them but $15 a month is outrageous when trying to court a market unfamiliar with that kind of model.

[wannabe gamer]

i didnt know 15 dollars a month was considered an "extreme" buy one less latte a week and you will have 15 bucks with 5 left over at the end of the month. or just conceed this game isnt for you and move on. they are doing it and nothing can stop it at this point. if they go f2p or whatever in a year then ok but as it is now it is what it is. tons of mmos have done fees for years and years. the f2p mmo generally end up costing more in the longrun. look at lotro and its assinine pay for content system. by the time you experience the entire game you will have spent a much larger amount of money on it than if it were a monthly sub to access everything the game offers.
swtor is f2p but if yo uwant to access the whole game you have to pay a monthy fee to be a premium member or whatever bs.
when i first heard eso announce subs i swore the game off entirely and said id never pat to play. then i got in beta for the last 2 sessions and it has impressed me so much that i already preordered.

[Volkama]

Console gamers? It's PC gaming that is pioneering the free to play model, and that community is just as vocal in complaining about the subscription.

Console/PC isn't the dividing line here...

WoW has done plenty of damage to the perception of a subscription game as well. All things the premium model should deliver, Blizzard didn't/don't.

[HacSawJimThugin]

...$60 up front, $15 a month sub fee, and micro transactions...

You my friend are one of the very few ppl that are willing to be raped by this company from what I understand isnt that spectacular. Ok, opinions are purely subjective and everyone has their own personal preferences and all that jazz, but the news out of the beta isnt that good. This game isnt blowning minds yet its asking for mind blowing support based on the success of it's name.

This game was for me until the sub fee and it their lost not mine. My pockets will be fine when and after this game launches...Zenimax and them, not so much.

All B.S. aside, how do these guys plan on competing with Destiny (a 10 year project) with a business model like this. I know, I know, apples and oranges but my point is I plan on playing a lot of games with the money TESO is asking for, not hemorrhaging all of my money on one title when I can enjoy so many more.

[wannabe gamer]

the issue here is you are letting other peoples opinions and views set yours for you "....from what I understand isnt that spectacular."
ive played it for the last 3 months in 3 separate beta test, ive had more than ebough time to form my own opinion on it. i went into it swearing i would never pay a sub for it but willing to see what it was like. I dont care what critics say or what the opninion of everyone else is. id rather see/do/hear/experience it all for myself and i did.
i played PVE till level 10 and loved it, then i started PVP and found it to be spectacular with huge battles and at one point there was 5000 people in the PVP server. thats 5000 players across 3 factions all on one HUGE map with 20 Castles/keeps to attack/defend and numerous other smaller outposts. giant siege weapons and massive amount of players on screen at once. the chat was full of people praising the game and comparing it ti GW2 WvW and concurring that eso pvp was much better.
stop letting critics and mmo snobs set your opinion for you and try to get a beta key for the next test and see for yourself.

[assdan]

I dont see why MMOs get to do this. It should be 60 up front. I'm not willing to pay 15 a month unless its worth it. That means that I want 2-3 full games worth of content every year if I'm paying for 3 games a year with the subscription.

[Saryk]

This is the plan, I don’t know, but I can assume and I bet I’m right. They are going to sell this game to people willing to buy it. They will charge a monthly sub and wait. If it turns to shit, they have options. As they are setup already with cash shop built prior to release. I bet this game goes F2P or optional in less than a year! And it is not because it is a bad game, it’s because there are other games out there.

[Rock_On_PS4]

I hope this game gets low sales that it deserves.

[Mr-Dude]

I understand that a MMO of this scale cost tons of money, but Zetamax and Bethesda have to understand that not all people, especially times likes these want to pay that much money for a game. People are going to make choices, because for the subscription fee, you can buy other games

[Takwin]

I have played sub and B2P games both and it seems like Bethesda/Zenimax is trying to have it all. You can't do $60 up front AND $15 a month AND microtransactions. You can, I guess, but I won't buy it.

I played the beta last weekend with my wife and some of my old WoW and other game friends. I was not impressed. It seemed dull, lifeless, TERRIBLE acting/dialogue, and the combat animations - oh my. I don't think I would get it at this point if it was B2P like Guild Wars 2. It seemed like a very very early beta, not a game that will be printed on discs in a few weeks.

[Rachel_Alucard]

I have no issues paying for a subscription to an MMO. But if the MMO does not feel like a 15$ a month game I stay away from it.

A game like FF14:ARR is very good example of a game where the sub is well worth the price. The base game was about 30$-40$ if you got it digitally or retail, 15$ sub, and no cash-shop except one service that lets you switch servers. The devs are very forthcoming about things and tell you everything that they are planning unless they are keeping it a secret to build hype and they take feedback very seriously and have been implementing user requested features left and right, with large updates coming at least every 3 months. So overall that is a very good choice of an MMO.

This game is 60$, 15$ sub, and cash shop + gold membership if your on Xbone. Forums are constantly on toxic meltdown and admins remove any posts saying anything negative about the game, desperation tactics like having to preorder the game just so you can play in any alliance/buying the collectors edition for the imperial race, and I don't even have to talk about the game, that just speaks for itself.

In defense of subscription-based games however, I will say that if a game is F2P, the player is less likely to play it because of the fact that they are not restricted on a set time that they are paying for, plus the amount of items that they see when going into a cash-shop that they have to buy to enjoy also strays away some players.

Pretty much F2P is a slow death unless it was F2P from the get go.

[SuperBlur]

don't forget the horse in that collectors edition.. it's a marathon simulator until you hit idk what level and have 40k of gold or some shit

[DeadMansHand]

What is really going to turn off console gamers is what they see on the screen when they start playing. PC gamers know that MMOs are usually pretty low end graphically and that is because of the stress on the servers for keeping so many people logged in and in such a vast world. Wow is a perfect example. All of the fanboys who tout the games with great graphics are going to see a dirt brown and Grey world with last gen character models and animations and be all WTF is this shit?!? Lol

That will be ESOs downfall.

[epoxe]

People want it all, they want a AAA title with endless content for free with nothing to buy....never mind the 10's of thousands of man hours behind these projects. GET REAL PEOPLE. Remeber how much a dollar bought in the 90's compared to now? Games haven't gone up in price because they have cut back the number of hours of gameplay you get. Prices have to go up for AAA titles , PERIOD. Its not greed, its economics. $60 for BF4 and 5 DLC's at $15 each everyone lines up. $60 and 5 months at $15 a month and gamers cry like sniveling children. I don't get it.

[SuperBlur]

Here's an idea , make me pay full price for your game and let me play when ever i have time for your game rather then forcing me to pay a monthly fee and making me feel obliged to devote my gaming time to it . When you release a dlc , i'll take the cc out of my wallet and buy it if i feel your game worthy of my support.

[H0RSE]

If you would feel "obligated" to play, then perhaps the game isn't for you? When I was heavy into MMO's, I played 2 at once - WoW and CoH. Both were subscription based, and both gave me hundreds of hours worth of playtime. I never once felt obligated to play. I didn't want to play, I didn't. the thing is though, back then, I didn't want to play anything but those games, which is why I gladly paid to play them, which is how many people who play MMO's feel.

Obligation comes from things you may not really want to do but do anyway. If that's how you feel about playing a game, perhaps you should play other games. The subscription model helps to deter people like this - the non-dedicated's, making for a more tightly knit and like-minded community.

[softgrip]

I'd happily pay $30 up front, and $10 a month.

However... Here in Australia, they are charging $90 for the Digital Standard Edition. You get 1 month "free" for $90.

It's also $15 a month after the first. 2 months game play will cost you $105.

After playing the beta for the weekend, it's fun - but just a worse version of Skyrim, with multiplayer. Definitely not > $100 experience for 2 months.

[H0RSE]

I played the ESO beta over the weekend, and one think that stood out was that it didn't feel like an ES game. I mean the races were there and the lore and locales, but it felt like I was playing a different game set in the ES universe.

[viking84]

In Australia isn't the minimum wage like $18? So I would expect your prices to be higher. And this is an MMO people! Its not like this is the first game to charge monthly. If there was any game that could challenge WoW it will be this game. I will be playing this on xbox one and will gladly pay $15 a month for updates, fixes, and more content because lets face it, that stuff isn't free.