The Elder Scrolls Online (PC, PS4, Xbox One) has accidentally received a controversial tracking program with the last patch, which some already consider spyware. Lead developer Matt Firor apologized for this. The controversial tool is set to be removed soon.
What is it about? Red Shell is a tracking program that finds out where users of certain games come from. It is often used for marketing purposes, so providers can better tailor their advertising offers to the target audience.
However, Red Shell should not have been at work in The Elder Scrolls Online. But due to an oversight, it happened anyway.
Red Shell was never intended – the boss apologizes
What happened now? At Zenimax, they wanted to experiment with new methods to optimize advertising. They wanted to find out where the new players are coming from. Red Shell was apparently also in the conversation. However, due to an oversight, the tool was immediately patched into the current live build.
Oh no! Am I being spied on? According to lead developer Matt Firor, who explained the matter in a statement, Red Shell accidentally slipped into the client as a baseline technology. The tool was never active. So you were not being spied on.
Still annoying! When will it be gone again? Red Shell will be removed from the client with the next patch on Monday. Furthermore, only the PC and Mac versions of The Elder Scrolls Online were affected. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions never contained the controversial tool.
Zenimax will be more careful in the future.
Matt Firor publicly apologized for the accidental implementation of the tracking tool. They will learn from this mistake. Additionally, they want to further evaluate the matter with Red Shell.
If at a later point they still want to use this tool, they will announce it in advance and explain it thoroughly.
