With the release date for Besthesda’s Elder Scrolls Online less than a month away, it’s a given that most players will be concerned with the post-launch issues that might crop up when they first enter Tamriel. Everything from bugs to purchasing problems could be potential deal breakers for players, but according to Examiner who sat down with the game’s director, ZeniMax’s Matt Firor, we shouldn’t have much to worry about.
“The Elder Scrolls Online is all about having a premium experience; from gameplay to customer service. So yes, we planned on having premium customer support from the beginning of the project, and put a lot of emphasis on best-in-class service.”
While the game’s appearance and gameplay might be the first thing that most people focus on, it’s good to see that ZeniMax is focusing, instead, on making sure customers are happy with what they’ve purchased. But providing said customer support probably isn’t cheap, and the game’s new subscription model may be helping to alleviate a bit of that cost. Matt Firor went in depth on the subject by saying: “ESO is a huge game, and any other revenue model just wouldn’t work for the game we’re making – The Elder Scrolls is an IP based on freedom to play, making subscription the best model. Players can enjoy playing the game and needn’t worry about running into content they must pay extra for.”
Granted, subscriptions are generally the way to go with the larger, more popular MMORPGs, and not having to pay extra for whatever content might be implemented along the way definitely sounds like a plus. With the world of Tamriel at our fingertips, it would be a little bit of a buzz kill to get stopped in the middle of exploring by an invisible barrier that could only be removed by forking over a few more dollars. Elder Scrolls Online is slated for release on April 4th for PC and Mac users, while Xbox One and PS4 players will have to wait until June, with the exact date pending.