Monthly Subscription Confirmed for The Elder Scrolls Online

It has been rumoured for quite some time that The Elder Scrolls Online would follow many other MMORPGs and go free-to-play, but this is certainly not the case.

In an interview with German publication Gamestar (thanks, Kotaku), Zenimax Online’s Matt Firor confirmed that that monthly subscriptions will apply to the game. After buying the game and getting a free month, the recurring fee will be $14.99/€12.99/£8.99.

Firor explained that the reason they’ve gone down this route is to avoid players being locked by micro-transactions at random intervals:

“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, and just having one small monthly fee for 100% access to the game fits the IP and the game much better than a system where you have to pay for features and access as you play. The Elder Scrolls Online was designed and developed to be a premium experience: hundreds of hours of gameplay, tons of depth and features, professional customer support – and a commitment to have ongoing content at regular intervals after launch. This type of experience is best paired with a one-time fee per month, as opposed to many smaller payments that would probably add up to more than $14.99/month any way.”

A bold move in this current climate and one that could go either way. How do you feel? Would you prefer to see The Elder Scrolls Online go F2P, or is the traditional method the better one? Let us know in the comments section, below.