ESO will continue as it has, that trend isn't going to change IMO.


It's a shame that we, both players and devs, invested so much of our money / their time, into a project that got cancelled while only a portion of those resources were reinvested back into ESO.
Again.



Would be neat if ZoS / Microsoft decided to reinvest into what they have already that's working, but most companies don't work that way, so I don't have high hopes there.


I am worried about what direction these new devs will take ESO though.
Many of us have seen the views some devs have on aspects of the game, via their twitch streams.

Why? It’s a whole lot of fat cutting with a refocus on the only profitable product ZOS has made: ESO. If anything this will be a net-benefit for the game. Best wishes for those afflicted by unemployment, but those sympathies are separate from my investment in this game and its continued growth.

jad11mumbler wrote: »

Would be neat if ZoS / Microsoft decided to reinvest into what they have already that's working, but most companies don't work that way, so I don't have high hopes there.

That is EXACTLY what Phil Spencer said they want to do now.
So I have high hopes indeed for ESO now more than ever.

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

And Kevin, its good to keep a positive outlook and hope for the best, but your statement has to real value because it does not matter what Zenimax wants, its all about papa Microsoft now (as evidence of what has transpired recently with the layoffs).

You're completely right on that one, which has been shown now. Neither Phil Spencer, nor Matt Firor were able to do anything against what happened.

The names in the matter are Satya Nadella and Amy Hood. As long as them two are leading Microsoft, there can't be any reassurance whats going to happen in the future or not.

I totally believe that ZOS is commited to the game, but the sad truth is, it means nothing when the higher ups decide differently.

I guess the only way to be somehwat save is if ESO can show groth again. Which I'm not sure is really possible as long as we don't get another pandemic.

Or if @ZOS_RichLambert decides to incooperate Copilot in either the developement procress of maybe even the game itself. If you use AI anywhere you should be relatively save.

RedJohn_COF wrote: »

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

And Kevin, its good to keep a positive outlook and hope for the best, but your statement has to real value because it does not matter what Zenimax wants, its all about papa Microsoft now (as evidence of what has transpired recently with the layoffs).

You're completely right on that one, which has been shown now. Neither Phil Spencer, nor Matt Firor were able to do anything against what happened.

The names in the matter are Satya Nadella and Amy Hood. As long as them two are leading Microsoft, there can't be any reassurance whats going to happen in the future or not.

I totally believe that ZOS is commited to the game, but the sad truth is, it means nothing when the higher ups decide differently.

I agree 100%, ZOS took the poisoned chalice when they let Microsoft through the door. Nothing good happens in these arrangements, little fish get eaten by big fish, simple as that.

Finedaible wrote: »

SkaiFaith wrote: »

jad11mumbler wrote: »

Would be neat if ZoS / Microsoft decided to reinvest into what they have already that's working, but most companies don't work that way, so I don't have high hopes there.

That is EXACTLY what Phil Spencer said they want to do now.
So I have high hopes indeed for ESO now more than ever.

Depends on what is considered as "working" or not. ESO is successful, but how successful compared to the competition? Regardless, I have zero faith in MS anymore. It already annoys me that Windows has become an advertisement platform, and I would have fully adopted Linux by now if I could get everything working on it.

Exactly my thoughts. Careful what one wishes for. The 'reinvestment' might not be something one wants by rather something the company wants.

Other than a whole bunch of people losing their jobs, which is obviously the worst part of all of this, the sad reality is that the big studios are putting all their eggs in the basket of their most famous IPs. Reportedly, the new MMO was to be a new IP. That fact, combined with MMOs being a very difficult/risky genre in general, with even the good ones taking years to break even, made this upcoming MMO a prime target to be axed by people who are really only interested in bean-counting and quarterly figures.

Even launching successful new IPs don't prevent studios from getting axed - just look at Hi-Fi Rush and Tango. Though that studio would eventually get revived under a new owner, it showed that Microsoft is fully prepared to close down studios shortly after launching a successful new game. Even success doesn't guarantee your future. High-profile games that underperformed or outright flopped (think Redfall, Concord or to some extent Starfield) serve as confirmation bias for big publishers that new IPs are a major risk, when you could argue that it was not the IP but the projects themselves that were the issue.

I don't think there is any reason to think that more resources are now going to get funneled back into ESO. A lot of people got fired, so they're not being moved to other teams. The overall trend appears to be that Microsoft minimizes the resources they allocate to try and maximize profits. What that means for ESO concretely is yet to be seen. What you *can* observe, though, is that ESO is part of the big Bethesda franchises that are seen as safe bets for success: Elder Scrolls, DOOM and Fallout. For that reason I think it'll be around in some shape or form for a long time to come, but how it will be managed, we will have to see.

In any case, I hope that both ESO and all the people at Zenimax are able to weather this storm. It's not the best time to be in video game development.

sarahthes wrote: »

This is my take as well. Expect more recycled assets and prices to go up.

I'm still convinced the reason we have so many recycled assets this year is because half the art team got laid off during the previous round of layoffs in 2024.

My take is that ESO MMO players have had a content experience subsidized by Chapter sales. When I say chapters, I'm referring mainly to the single player content.

I think the reason we were charged the same for less with the 2025 content pass is because they were rightfully expecting a huge drop in revenue without chapter sales.

The kind of player I call a chapter player is ultra-casual. Like 2 hours a week here and there. I know some in RL. One is a cousin who has been a TES fan since Morrowind on his xbox. He has no clue about the mmo side of the game. Chapters are just like Skyrim DLCs to him. Of course I don't tell him I play because we play completely different games within ESO.

This year he's playing the Oblivion remaster instead. I think this was planned. I think Zenimax made an intentional choice to not release an eso chapter because they figured Oblivion would cannibalize eso chapter sales. They were most likely correct. Ultra-casuals don't have time for both. And Oblivion is WAY more appealing to the average TES fan than anything ESO.

I do think that things will be fine, yet this period represents an existential challenge for ESO as it transitions from the chapter heyday and tries to find a new foothold in the market.

sarahthes wrote: »

joergino wrote: »

CAB_Life wrote: »

Why? It’s a whole lot of fat cutting with a refocus on the only profitable product ZOS has made: ESO. If anything this will be a net-benefit for the game. Best wishes for those afflicted by unemployment, but those sympathies are separate from my investment in this game and its continued growth.

I'm not so sure about this. This sounds excellent in theory, but my suspicion is rather that ZOS is expected to generate higher profits with less investment. At least this is what recent development and the stated intentions hint at. Since there no longer is another project to fund, the ESO profits can go straight into the bonus payments for management and of course into shareholder dividents.

I would hope for more and better content and especially real quality of life improvements, but so far it seems what we will get instead is just less content for more money and even more predatory monetization.

This is my take as well. Expect more recycled assets and prices to go up.

I'm still convinced the reason we have so many recycled assets this year is because half the art team got laid off during the previous round of layoffs in 2024.

This is exactly what will happen. If they thought ESO was worth investing more money into they would not have moved people from ESO to the cancelled project. There would have been new hires or contracted hires/freelance hires.

I don't think ESO has a bright future at all. It's always been niche. Great for Elder Scrolls fans, not so great for the average MMORPG player. I play wow and ESO and there have been a number of similar changes in both games since MS bought both studios. But WoW has been receiving heavy investement, you can see it in the game with the writing, size of zones, the sheer amount of content is insane, especially compared to Seasons of the Worm Cult. ESO has not been given the same amount of investment and it shows.

If MS keeps the Elder Scrolls IP, I think its going to focus on single player only to capture that RPG market. They are going to want fantasy MMORPG players to play wow. I don't think they are going to invest into two fantasy mmorpgs, even though wow and eso are quite different.

Desiato wrote: »

The first warning sign was last year when they abruptly cancelled their anniversary tour. Then we saw backend mail and trader efficiencies. There were probably a lot more efficiencies implemented that are largely invisible to us.

Then we learned there wouldn't be a new chapter this year. Instead, we've transitioned to a content pass system that so far relies on heavy reuse of existing art assets. Plus no cinematic trailer. So the budget was much lower this year, most likely.

Only a small thing but we haven't had any new forum avatars to choose from since Necrom

I must say though as someone who has also played SWtOR (2011) from launch ESO (2014) is still receiving more significant content updates.

.

scrappy1342 wrote: »

YstradClud wrote: »

Desiato wrote: »

The first warning sign was last year when they abruptly cancelled their anniversary tour. Then we saw backend mail and trader efficiencies. There were probably a lot more efficiencies implemented that are largely invisible to us.

Then we learned there wouldn't be a new chapter this year. Instead, we've transitioned to a content pass system that so far relies on heavy reuse of existing art assets. Plus no cinematic trailer. So the budget was much lower this year, most likely.

Only a small thing but we haven't had any new forum avatars to choose from since Necrom

I must say though as someone who has also played SWtOR (2011) from launch ESO (2014) is still receiving more significant content updates.

another small thing... can't be bothered to put pics for all the things in the showcases anymore. very small but very annoying change.

I find this annoying, as well. Poor marketing decision on their part. Always show pictures. For many people, it is probably the only thing the look at in the Showcase.

Elsonso wrote: »

scrappy1342 wrote: »

YstradClud wrote: »

Desiato wrote: »

The first warning sign was last year when they abruptly cancelled their anniversary tour. Then we saw backend mail and trader efficiencies. There were probably a lot more efficiencies implemented that are largely invisible to us.

Then we learned there wouldn't be a new chapter this year. Instead, we've transitioned to a content pass system that so far relies on heavy reuse of existing art assets. Plus no cinematic trailer. So the budget was much lower this year, most likely.

Only a small thing but we haven't had any new forum avatars to choose from since Necrom

I must say though as someone who has also played SWtOR (2011) from launch ESO (2014) is still receiving more significant content updates.

another small thing... can't be bothered to put pics for all the things in the showcases anymore. very small but very annoying change.

I find this annoying, as well. Poor marketing decision on their part. Always show pictures. For many people, it is probably the only thing the look at in the Showcase.

I wish they’d at least link to a picture or something so I can review the content. Not sure why they changed this practice, but I don’t find it helpful.