As an Elder Scrolls Online veteran, I’m worried its new seasonal model could kill my favorite MMORPG

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I’ve always preferred The Elder Scrolls Online as my main MMORPG. I’ve never liked the idea of paying a monthly fee for a game I already own, so I avoided games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14. The Elder Scrolls Online initially tried the same subscription model, but thankfully changed course, which immediately appealed to me. Now, after playing for over a decade, I’m concerned that the game’s current success might not last.

2025 was a tough year for Microsoft-owned Zenimax, and that impacted the team working on The Elder Scrolls Online. They had to cancel a major, unannounced game project, which created a demoralizing atmosphere. One quality assurance tester described it as working “among a graveyard.” The remaining, smaller development team will now focus on continuing to support The Elder Scrolls Online.

As a long-time Elder Scrolls Online player, I was really excited to see the developers laying out their plans for 2026! They announced on Twitter that they’re moving away from big yearly expansions and instead focusing on smaller, seasonal updates – which sounds amazing in theory, promising a more flexible and accessible game. But honestly, the more I dig into the details of the roadmap, the more I’m getting a bad feeling. It’s bringing back some not-so-great memories of how things have gone with similar changes in the past.

We’ve been here before

Massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs, are notoriously difficult to create and sustain. Keeping players engaged for years is a huge challenge, and the ongoing costs are very high – that’s why the most popular games haven’t changed much in a decade. While a truly groundbreaking MMO will eventually emerge, the current financial difficulties in the gaming industry make it too risky to invest in such a large-scale project. The experience with Amazon’s New World serves as a recent example of these challenges.

The ‘freemium’ model with timed seasons has been successful for many games, but it generally works best with simpler games like fast-paced shooters or those focused on collecting loot. Destiny 2 is a blend of these with elements of large, shared online worlds, and its seasonal approach ultimately didn’t work as well. Games that players invest a lot of time in need consistent, high-quality updates. However, the realities of game development make it difficult to deliver that consistently within a seasonal framework.

Even with its lengthy raids and engaging endgame content, Bungie’s long-running online shooter is starting to lose momentum. The core issue is a lack of a clear long-term vision. Instead of improving the experience, the seasonal updates have made the game’s complex story and systems even harder to understand, and they’ve diverted resources from the larger expansions that players actually prefer. This raises the question: what makes this approach work for a much larger, older game like The Elder Scrolls Online?

Good intentions

More activities, progression systems, and familiar battles passes only translate into FOMO.

As Rich Lambert, game director at ZeniMax Online Studios, explains, no game can stay popular forever – unless it’s Blizzard, apparently. While The Elder Scrolls Online has seen player numbers increase over time, and interest in The Elder Scrolls 6 and the success of the Oblivion Remastered have helped, it’s difficult to feel confident given Microsoft and Xbox’s tendency to change direction.

To be honest, I agree with about 90% of the recently announced plans. Giving players older expansions for free is a smart move, and updates to classes and quality-of-life improvements are essential for keeping the game interesting. The fact that new stories, quests, and areas will be available at no extra cost should also make it easier for new players to get started. Overall, the plans look good on paper.

It’s difficult to ignore past issues with established game developers, and while the planned improvements and updates sound good, the game is actually getting less truly new content.

Adding more things to do, ways to advance, and the usual battle passes actually create a fear of missing out. While hardcore players might like that, it’s a problem for more casual players who used to enjoy a big content update in The Elder Scrolls Online each year – now there’s nothing major to look forward to.

I think The Elder Scrolls Online has always been strong because it doesn’t pressure players to keep up with the newest content – you can enjoy things at your own pace and focus on what you like. Plus, it’s one of the few MMORPGs that’s really enjoyable to play solo, offering a great single-player experience within a massive multiplayer world.

The Elder Scrolls Online is likely to change drastically as it adopts the faster-paced, constantly-updated style of many modern online games. However, given Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax, it’s hard to imagine things could have gone any other way.

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2026-01-28 19:14