Elder Scrolls Online - Editorial @ Forbes

Couchpotato · January 8, 2014

Forbes has another article in their predicting the biggest video game disasters Of 2014 series. This time they take a look at The Elder Scrolls Online.

MMOs as a genre may not be dead yet, but the monthly subscription model certainly is for new entries, and Bethesday/ZeniMax were foolish not to have the foresight to realize this. While it’s entirely possible TESO is released and it blows everyone’s expectations away, that’s seeming increasingly unlikely as players have already spent a lot of time with the game and many are coming away less than impressed. It was a strange decision to jump genres from a famed single player series to an MMO, and even stranger to expect fans to pay $15 a month for the privilege.

Whether the budget is $200M or not, I can’t say. If it isn’t, the game seems like a relatively risky idea at its core nonetheless. If it is, the game seems like a truly insane endeavor that could easily turn into the biggest bomb of the year.

We’ll find out in April, I suppose. I’ve reached out to ZeniMax to see if they have any comment before then.

ZeniMax even sent them a response.

Update: ZeniMax responded and pointed me toward this satirical explanation from game director Matt Firor about the $200M budget.

Officially, ZeniMax told me to “keep looking in the upcoming days for an official statement about that, if it will ever come out.” Between these two items, I suspect my leg may be being pulled a bit, but good on them for having a sense of humor.

As for the subscription fee, I was sent to this actual interview with Matt Firor:

“And 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, given our commitment to freedom of gameplay, quality and long-term content delivery. Plus, players will appreciate not having to worry about being “monetized” in the middle of playing the game, which is definitely a problem that is cropping up more and more in online gaming these days. 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.”

More information.

Drithius · January 8, 2014

I've said it before and I'll say it again: F2P lends itself to shallow, simplistic, and forgettable game design.

So, fuck this guy.

Couchpotato · January 8, 2014

Drithius said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: F2P lends itself to shallow, simplistic, and forgettable game design.

So, fuck this guy.

Strong words Drithius I agree with you for this game.

Still some games fit the F2P model, and others don't. F2P isn't going away anytime soon either.

khaight · January 8, 2014

Good games don't get made for free. You'll always wind up paying somehow. Your choices are up front, nickel-and-dime, or in frustration. Of those I much prefer up-front. Because of the way the human mind works, with nickel-and-dime it's too easy to lose track of how much you're actually paying -- and there's a certain kind of developer who views this as a feature, not a bug.

sakichop · January 8, 2014

Drithius said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: F2P lends itself to shallow, simplistic, and forgettable game design.

So, fuck this guy.

So your saying F2P makes you horny.

As Couch said F2P isn't going anywhere. Fortunately though that doesn't mean I have to participate.

At least not yet.

azarhal · January 8, 2014

We will see how ESO fair in the end. I still thing it's reception is going to be a mixed bag because it's so different and similar to other MMOs and ESO at the same time.

I know it's a strange thing to say, but that's how I feel about it.

TheMadGamer · January 8, 2014

Legend tells of a young Yale University student who got a 'C' on a term paper describing a business model which would eventually become Federal Express. Those are some pretty pompous words coming from Forbes… I guess time will tell who the fools will be.

lostforever · January 8, 2014

Drithius said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: F2P lends itself to shallow, simplistic, and forgettable game design.

So, fuck this guy.

Second this. I just don't get this fad with F2P at all. We pay subscription for lot of things like gym, tv, internet etc so why is it bad for games?

DArtagnan · January 8, 2014

Finally got invited to beta test this weekend, so I'll have a better idea if this is going to be worth playing or not.

Seems a LOT of mails were sent out, so if you applied - check your mail/spam filter. Also, it's a huge client - so the sooner you start downloading, the better.

guenthar · January 8, 2014

I was in the last beta and will be in the next one and hopefully I'll get to play more this time.

When it comes to f2p games there are a few good ones out there but you just need to dig through the crap to get to them. There are even a couple turn-based mmorpgs like Atlantica and Wakfu.

DArtagnan · January 8, 2014

Problem with F2P isn't so much the core paradigm - but how easy it is to lose track of what's good for the game and what's good for your pockets.

It's just an extremely exploitable concept - and human beings are generally quite short-term when they decide what to do.

Not a great combination.

wolfing · January 8, 2014

azarhal said:
We will see how ESO fair in the end. I still thing it's reception is going to be a mixed bag because it's so different and similar to other MMOs and ESO at the same time.

I know it's a strange thing to say, but that's how I feel about it.

Hmm... I see the "similar" but not the "different" in ESO. To me it's pretty much same as any other typical MMO but with TES names, and some books to be found around which I ignored in the single player versions (I just opened them to get the skill points)

azarhal · January 8, 2014

wolfing said:
Hmm… I see the "similar" but not the "different" in ESO. To me it's pretty much same as any other typical MMO but with TES names, and some books to be found around which I ignored in the single player versions (I just opened them to get the skill points)

I see plenty of things that reminds me of Oblivion, Skyrim and even a bit of Morrowind. There is also a few counter-MMO design choice that has a few MMOers pissed off in the beta forums.

Nyx · January 8, 2014

azarhal said:
There is also a few counter-MMO design choice that has a few MMOers pissed off in the beta forums.

Not necessarily a bad thing. Standard mmo design is boring and outdated. The mmo scene is in a bad need of change. I'll make my opinion based on the beta design. I know it's not the final product and what not, but truth is: if beta fails to impress then I don't see it getting the major overhaul it would need to make me want to spend money on it.

Here's hoping stress test allows me to play at least a few hours :roll:

azarhal · January 8, 2014

NyxVampiria said:
Here's hoping stress test allows me to play at least a few hours

Don't plan on playing Friday night. Well not before 9pm EST going by previous stress tests, could be longer. The November test had 300k invites, this one is way bigger.

TheMadGamer · January 8, 2014

lostforever said:
I just don't get this fad with F2P at all. We pay subscription for lot of things like gym, tv, internet etc so why is it bad for games?

F2P is marketing genius. There is a huge demographic of kids with no direct purchasing power. Here's how it goes in my household with my 8 year old.

Dad, I just downloaded this really fun game and it's free.

*Dad checks out the game to make sure it doesn't involve pornography, gratuitous violence, kicking puppies etc.*

Ok son, have fun.

One day later...

Dad, there is this great insert_a_gimmick_here_that_only_an_8_year_old_will_appreciate and it's only $1.99. Can I get it please please please?

No son.

Rinse/Repeat a few dozen times. Sometimes dad caves, sometimes he doesn't.

There's a lot of parents out there, even me, who occasionally or even routinely dole out the payment so the kids can get some kind of virtual asset for a supposedly 'free' game.

Reminds me of the 'hey kids' cartoons/shows when I was a kid that was pure indoctrination to get you to go tell your parents something to get them to pay for something.

Now that F2P is here along with some other variants, I wholeheartedly prefer subscription based games. They just seem "better" in general.

Maylander · January 8, 2014

DArtagnan said:
Finally got invited to beta test this weekend, so I'll have a better idea if this is going to be worth playing or not.

Seems a LOT of mails were sent out, so if you applied - check your mail/spam filter. Also, it's a huge client - so the sooner you start downloading, the better.

Yep, I got a code as well. It seems to be a stress test, which means we're likely to see queues and lag, but I'll still give it a go.

Nyx · January 8, 2014

Maylander said:
Yep, I got a code as well. It seems to be a stress test, which means we're likely to see queues and lag, but I'll still give it a go.

I got the stress test as well..I'm guessing they are aiming at reaching as close to 1 mill testers as they can get. So don't expect to be able to play too much. And stay away from the beta forums..they will be infested with people who don't understand the meaning of a stress test.

crpgnut · January 8, 2014

Is there a way to turn off all other players, so that you don't see anyone else? I'm not much into the MMO stuff, so I have no idea. To me, it would be very confusing figuring out who is an enemy, another person's character, or just an in-game npc.

Thrasher · January 8, 2014

I guess I shouldn't feel deprived not getting a code then.

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