The Elder Scrolls Online entered 2014 as one of the most anticipated games of the year by many, but upon its release in April, most gamers were left disappointed. As a result, it seems like hardly anybody cares about the game anymore, even with console versions still supposedly coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Now, an interesting report has cropped up out of Australia that makes some think the game may be making a major change.
According to Kotaku Australia, a directive was sent to all EB Games stores asking that everything related to The Elder Scrolls Online be sent back to the publisher. This includes copies of the game itself as well as prepaid cards.
While Kotaku Australia was not able to reach Bethesda, they did get a response from EB Games itself, which said that this was part of a normal stock recall along with plenty of other games. However, the big key here is that the directive mentions excess stock for other games, but The Elder Scrolls Online is seeing the removal of literally everything to do with the game.
As a result, many are beginning to think that this could mean the game is going to be moving towards free-to-play in the very near future. With the constant delays and non-release dates for console versions and the removal of the ability to subscribe for six months, leaving only 30 and 90 days options, it seems the writing could be on the wall, though it is only mere speculation and rumors at this point. This certainly wouldn’t be the first major MMORPG to go free-to-play after a lackluster launch, as The Old Republic did the same, so it will be interesting to see if Bethesda will make a statement soon about this.
