frogthroat wrote: »

twisttop138 wrote: »

frogthroat wrote: »

heimdall14_9 wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Hi All, just wanted to follow up here. I know some folks would like info now, but we are still a bit too early for sharing anything. There is quite a bit that is getting figured out and subject to change. But once we have some core concrete info, we will certainly share more info, long before testing and release of Crossplay. But one thing to reiterate. Crossplay will not be this year. We know that is disappointing, but we need the year to work through a lot of the considerations we need to make for Crossplay.

Note: I am using AI to help me better format and express my thoughts and concerns.

I understand that Crossplay is a massive undertaking, but the "wait and see" approach is exactly what has the community on edge. We aren’t just looking for a release date; we are looking for a seat at the table before the blueprints are finished.

By the time you have "concrete info" to share, it’s usually too late for player feedback to actually change the outcome. We’ve seen time and again that when developers make fundamental changes behind closed doors, players don't just complain—they leave because they had no say. There are massive, game-breaking issues that we need to start talking about now, while things are still being "figured out":

The Trading Economy: Trader Guilds are the backbone of this community. Merging markets isn't just a technical toggle; it’s a total shift that affects years of player effort and the "slots" that people have worked hard to maintain. If you wait until the plan is final to tell us how you're handling the economic merge, the damage to player trust and market stability will already be done.

Competitive Integrity (PC vs. Console): The gap between hardware and input methods makes for an inherently unfair playing field. We need to be part of the discussion on balancing and "opt-out" mechanics before those systems are locked in, or players will move on to games that respect their preferred platform.

Community Retention: Players leave when they feel sidelined. If the "in-depth talks" don't start until right before testing, you’re going to find that the guilds and veterans you’re building this for have already moved on because they felt they were shut out of the process.

The community is already reacting to the news. We want to help you get this right, but that requires transparency and collaboration while these changes are still subject to change—not after the decisions are already made.

Good points.

Well, the "Competitive integrity" part is not that huge issue other than that consoles need to be able to support all the graphics client side. I think ZOS has improved that a lot, though. But besides possible lag due to graphics, the requirements for this game are quite low. All supported hardware can send the required calls (which, I think, could even be lowered) and since this is not an fps, the controls are mainly about your preference. So as long as your console or potato PC doesn't choke when there's a million skill animations on screen, it should be fine. But yeah, I think the amount of elements/animations on screen has been the biggest hurdle for consoles so that might be an issue.

Trading, however, is indeed something that at first will require some balancing. Maybe more traders throughout Tamriel. If none are added, it will not destroy big console guilds, but force the lower end of them to the outskirts lone traders, while the biggest ones compete with the big PC guilds for the best spots. So all the currently available traders will be divided between the big guilds from all platforms. What it will (at first) destroy is all the casual/small trading guilds that will be left out regardless of their original platform. Over time this will even out, markets will find equilibrium, and with platforms mixing, the original platform of a trading guild will lose meaning. But I do hope more traders will be introduced so small and casual guilds will continue to have a go at trading, too.

To your point about trading. Sure stuff will equal out and whatever. I think the point though, is that people don't want to go through this. They don't want their small guilds crushed. They don't wanna be pushed to the margins. This is a game, not wall street. It needs to be figured out so this does not happen. This should be a joyous thing, a thing to celebrate, not worry about who's going to be crushed and left behind for the march of progress. That's a huge worry in the real world, leave it OUT of my video games. Not saying you're implying any of that, it's just my general thought.

Yup, I think the focus should be exactly on the smaller guilds. The big guilds are going to be fine. Currently the trading discussion is at "console guilds don't have the gold to compete with the PC guilds" - where as in reality it will be that the big console and PC guilds will get pretty much all of the guild traders if nothing is done to balance. The best spots might favour PC guilds due to the stronger economy, but over time the gap will close when everyone is in the same ecosystem. And these guilds are those who do treat this game like a Wall Street simulator. (Hm, is The Spiffing Brit for hire?)

So yes, unless we get information how they plan to ensure that smaller guilds can still get their traders in the remote areas, smaller guilds should worry. And worry is not a good thing in a video game we play for fun.