ESO: What the boss says about player numbers, Stadia and the latest problems

Then we may need to adjust it again. We need to make balancing changes repeatedly and try to keep it so that players do not have to re-spec their characters. But sometimes that is necessary.

What about ESO’s Performance Problems?

Mein-MMO: Why are you only starting performance improvements in 2020?

Matt Firor: It’s actually starting this year. That is the memory management update in Update 24. That will be very, very important. It changes the way data is stored on each device. It will be much more efficient. Until now, data has just been piled up.

We now want to optimize how this data is retrieved. This will benefit weaker PCs and the Xbox One. There will be fewer system crashes, and the game will run smoother. It’s about stability and making the game run a bit better.

Next comes Update 25 with changes to the client and patching system. The client will be much smaller. Our object library will also be faster, loading times will be much shorter, and the frame rate will be optimized. The next update will then improve things on the server side. 

Mein-MMO: But why is all this happening only now?

Matt Firor: We now have more experience, but the game has been expanded so often that the performance has suffered significantly. Therefore, something has to be done, especially now. 

What Comes with Dragonhold

Mein-MMO: What can you tell us about Dragonhold, the last DLC of the Season of the Dragon?

Matt Firor: It will go to southern Elsweyr, along with the city of Senchal, which was last seen in Elder Scrolls Arena in 1994. But it will look different now. The southern Elsweyr will look a bit different but feel familiar.

It’s about the Dragon Guard, an ancient order that fights dragons. In a side quest in Elsweyr, you’ll already meet one of them. Together you will hunt the dragons in Dragonhold. The Dragon Guard also appears in the E3 trailer, alongside Sai Sahan. 

Mein-MMO: What content can we expect? Are there raids or dungeons?

Matt Firor: No new raid; we just had one in Elsweyr, but I’m not sure if there might be a public dungeon.

Mein-MMO: How big will the area be?

Matt Firor: About the size of Murkmire 2018.

Mein-MMO: Will the Elsweyr story then be concluded?

Matt Firor: The Season of the Dragon will end here. We will do something different next year.

Mein-MMO: What are the plans for next year? Will there be a yearly story again?

Matt Firor: There will be another year-long story arc. That is much better. 

Mein-MMO: I’ve noticed that Sai Sahan plays a role in the story of Dragonhold. Even though he was actually sacrificed at the end of the base game. Will it be explained how he rose from the dead? And will other characters from the original story return in that way?

Matt Firor: Does anyone really die in Elder Scrolls? We will explain Sai’s story and his resurrection in more detail. We also looked at who among our players chose to sacrifice Sai, Lyris, or the Prophet. Almost everyone chose the Prophet. He ultimately started everything and is to blame.

We keep bringing back old acquaintances, so it’s possible that you’ll meet such NPCs in the future. We mainly choose characters that players like, and they keep returning, like Razum-dar. That is a strategy we use. If characters are popular, they keep coming back, enhancing the atmosphere.

The Future Brings

Mein-MMO: Can you give me a small hint about the next big thing in ESO? I bet it’s Skyrim.

Matt Firor: I’m not saying anything about that. Stay tuned; it will be really cool, and you’ll like it.

Mein-MMO: ESO already has all the typical MMORPG features, such as housing, pets, story quests, crafting, etc. Is there anything fundamentally new that you want to add?

Matt Firor: Why? It works the way it is. One reviewer brilliantly summed it up: “The whole game is the endgame.”

Mein-MMO: That was me …

Matt Firor: You were that?

Mein-MMO: At least one person who said that back then. I phrased it that way in an article about One Tamriel. So you are satisfied with the features in the game and don’t want to reinvent the wheel? So not like WoW, which tries to introduce something completely new every time?

Matt Firor: We are not afraid to change things or take risks. We last did that with One Tamriel. But yes, players like what we are currently doing, so we keep going.

Mein-MMO: So more of the same, but good? Like a burger restaurant that only offers burgers but different kinds?

Matt Firor: Exactly. We expand the menu, keep it fresh, but will not radically change the selection. And honestly, the system optimization is a radically different thing for us internally.

ESO and Google Stadia

Mein-MMO: Okay, but one more thing: When Google Stadia’s game lineup was announced, ESO was also included. I think that’s great, but only if I can use my existing PC account and play with other PC players. What is the current status on this?

Matt Firor: What I can already say is: Stadia players play on PC servers. It should therefore be crossplay between PC, Mac, and Stadia. I can’t say anything yet about account connections.

Mein-MMO: But that last part would be important. I have been playing ESO since the beta and really don’t want to start over.

Matt Firor: Yes, I understand that, and we will do everything to make this possible, but we also don’t know yet if and how this can be realized. I also don’t want to raise false hopes.

But ESO will come to Stadia in 2020, and there is still time until then. But this is really very, very complicated. There are still many questions to clarify.

Mein-MMO: Okay, then I hope for the best. Thank you for the conversation.

Matt Firor: You’re welcome!

Here you can find more from Matt Firor: Today, August 23, from 13:30 to 13:45, our author Leya will also conduct a live interview with Matt Firor. Don’t miss it!

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von Irina Moritz