The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited edition has been a long time in the making. The game was always planned for PC and current-gen consoles, but saw a few delays as the PC version stumbled out of the gate. The game was entertaining enough, but its subscription fee made many fans of MMOs or the Elder Scrolls universe hesitant to test the waters.
Just a little more than a year after the game's PC launch, ZeniMax has thrown the subscription model to the side (despite initial insistence that the monthly fee was necessary) and is ready to start testing the fantasy MMO on consoles. The Xbox One and PS4 launch isn't until June 9, but the Elder Scrolls Online limited console beta should help work out some bugs and stress test the servers before the real deal starts.
The Elder Scrolls Online beta will run on PS4 and Xbox One from April 23-April 27. During the week-long trial, invitees will have a chance to explore the full version of the console port, and the official announcement goes over the rules, limitations, and guidelines for the beta:
"Everyone participating in the ESOTU console beta test will have access to the full console version of the game, not a slimmed down version."
"Remember, there is no NDA for this event, so we encourage everyone on PS4 and Xbox One to stream the beta over Twitch (or UStream, using the PS4's built-in share capabilities). We'll be on the lookout for great streams to share!"
The invitations started going out today (Wednesday), so interested parties should keep an eye on their inbox and spam folders for a message from the Elder Scrolls team. The long-delayed ESO port is quite large as well, so the developer recommends downloading the client ASAP.
The new and improved Elder Scrolls Online is large enough that it will exceed the size of a 50GB Blu-ray disc, so players should expect a sizable day one patch on June 9. Based on what we know currently, 15GB seems like a safe minimum bet for the day one update.
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Beta participants will be associated with one of four megaservers. There will be two servers designated for PS4 and two for Xbox One, but the beta will not be cross-platform, so other heroes in the world will all be playing on the same console.
Five days in Tamriel is actually a lot of time to level up, so many players may race to the max level during the testing, but they shouldn't get their hopes up about keeping these characters. At launch, all beta characters will be wiped, so testers shouldn't grow too attached. However, there will be the chance for PC gamers to bring over their characters to the console servers.
In terms of MMOs, Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited doesn't have a ton of console competition. Neverwinter offers a very entertaining free-to-play experience, but lacks the appeal that the Elder Scrolls universe has with some gamers. We've seen games like Diablo 3 have a bit of a renaissance after a long-awaited console port, so we're interested to see if The Elder Scrolls Online finally takes off this summer.
Do you plan on giving The Elder Scrolls Online another try when it is released for consoles? Was the subscription fee holding you back from playing in 2014? Let us know in the comments.
The Elder Scrolls Online is now available on PC and Mac. The game will be released on PS4 and Xbox One on June 9, 2015.
Source: Elder Scrolls Online