Elder Scrolls Online - Hardcore Fans Are Angry

Shane Scarbrough of the Skyrim Fansite is the next person to write about the changes for Elder Scrolls Online this month, and he points out why fans are angry. 

Final Thoughts

After the Skyrim Fansite published an earlier article touching on some of this post’s themes (“The Elder Scrolls Online Will Be Free To Play: Fans Are Freaking Out“), I was asked by a few readers what my personal feelings were regarding the change…

So here you go:

• Like many others, I was surprised at the announcement. I knew (or thought I knew) ZOS’s position regarding their P2P business model. During the last year in fact, I found myself put in the position of having to defend the reasons for a subscription-based model in this very blog. Early on, our readers wanted ESO to be free to play, and most likely still do today.
• Personally, I like ESO the way it is now, and don’t mind paying the subscription fee. I feel the P2P model helped fill the Community with mature gamers, and provided an environment for ZOS to stop the bots and spammers that once plagued the game shortly after release.
• Even though I’d prefer that the business model didn’t change (purely selfish reasons), I appreciate the fact that sub fees are a huge barrier to console gamers and others. I also appreciate that ZOS needs to make money. Lots of money. I don’t begrudge ZOS their profits. B2P may help bring in thousands of new players, and may be just what is needed to keep the game I love going strong now and into the future.
• Changing from P2P to B2P may not be as dire as a lot of my fellow hardcore gamers think. B2P may actually be a welcome success — bringing in good gamers (both PC and console) who under the old sub model wouldn’t or couldn’t play. Having to actually buy a copy of the game (and DLC) may provide the barrier needed to keep the botters, spammers, and trolls out of the game.
• As long as ZOS doesn’t transition The Elder Scrolls Online to “play to win,” I truly believe the Community and the game itself will be just fine. I sympathize with the anger of my fellow hardcore players, but I believe we need to keep calm and game on. Change is coming, and change may bring danger. True enough, but change may also bring opportunity, and we should never forget that.

That’s my two septims, but how do you feel about this issue?