Reboot – These 7 online games wanted a second chance – How did it turn out?

The Elder Scrolls Online – becomes Unlimited and then “One Tamriel”

What was the situation?

The Elder Scrolls Online was released in April 2014 as an MMORPG with many problems and bugs. The reviews were lukewarm. It was a good game, actually, a good story – but somehow, ESO was caught between worlds. There was no clear vision.

It felt like the individual game elements didn’t fit together. Nobody was satisfied with the endgame. The big success didn’t occur.

It wasn’t a flop, nor a hit – potential was there, as a single-player game, it was quite okay, but it couldn’t meet the high expectations.

What happened then?

Zenimax called guild representatives to a meeting and discussed how to thoroughly overhaul the game. The plans were gradually implemented in the following years. Significant changes occurred in the progress and scaling systems. ESO got nicer.

All of this happened “gradually,” there was no major upheaval from one day to the next like with Final Fantasy XIV with “server off” and “server back on.”

In principle, the game was molded much more in the direction of the single-player series “The Elder Scrolls,” giving players more freedom, and delivering popular elements from Skyrim and Morrowind.

Leading up to the transition to PS4 and Xbox One, ESO left behind the subscription model and became “Buy2Play.” The transition to the “new game” was finalizedwith the free update “One Tamriel” – thus, the “Skyrimisierung” of The Elder Scrolls Online reached its peak.

With the “Morrowind” expansion in June 2017, they also intend to move away from their PvP concept and bring smaller battlegrounds. Fans have been wishing for these for three years.

Over the years, Zenimax has tossed almost all the fundamental concepts with which they initially started and has “developed them further” – if you want to see it positively.

How did it turn out?

Hardly anyone longs for the early days. The changes are broadly seen as “good and right.” Players on PS4 and Xbox One only know ESO this way.

The changes have positively impacted sales numbers and the wallet of Zenimax. In any case, you mostly see ESO boss Matt Firor with a big smile since The Elder Scrolls Online has been released on consoles.