The Elder Scrolls Online: The Biggest Disaster of 2014?
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Citing a Tweet that no longer exists by Kotaku's Superannuation that apparently claimed that The Elder Scrolls Online had already cost over $200 millionto develop and the lackluster launch that was Star Wars: The Old Republic, Forbes has predicted that ZeniMax Online's MMORPG will be the biggest video game disaster of 2014. Tough words, no doubt, and it'll be interesting to see if they ring true:
Once upon a time, way back in 2011, there was another MMO that swore it could compete with World of Warcraft and still charge a monthly subscription thanks to its rabid and devoted fanbase. Star Wars: The Old Republic also boasted a $200M budget, and was based on most beloved series in pop culture history as an added bonus.
But even Star Wars wasn't enough to convince The Old Republic players that the game was worth a monthly fee. The MMO didn't bring much new to the table, and soon the game started leaking players. Eventually, it was forced to admit defeat and go free-to-play. The game still exists in that state today, but instead of being the blockbuster EA needed it to be, it's a cautionary tale of overestimating your brand.
And that seems to be exactly what's happening with The Elder Scrolls Online.
Though the Elder Scrolls is certainly a beloved series, and we all have our own fond memories of Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind and so on, it's certainly no Star Wars, and an MMO version of the game isn't something that deserves anywhere remotely near a $200M budget.
There are some who are saying that by being cross-platform, an MMO that functions on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, that the game will have an expanded reach that SWTOR, and most other MMOs, don't.
Yes, that's true, in theory. I certainly would give TESO a shot on my One or PS4, even though I'm not normally a big PC MMO guy. But then I, and all other console players like me, will slam into the iron gate that's the game's $15 monthly subscription fee.
No thanks.
Console players, and hell, most PC players these days that aren't die hard WoW or EVE Online devotees, have no patience for the increasingly outdated monthly subscription model. It's something almost never seen across console titles especially, and while TESO might have put up Skyrim-ish sales numbers with fee-less release, that $15 charge is going to severely limit their cross-platform audience to only the series' most devoted fans.
Interestingly enough, there are some rebuttals from Bethesda/ZeniMax toward the bottom.
