New season model dont include Console players!

XSTRONG · June 13

Console players seems not included in the seasonal gameplay in Eso, we get the content over 2 weeks after the new content has been released which is crazy for a game like Eso.

I play D4 and D2 alot but if Blizzard would let us Console players play the seasons 2 weeks after PC, all hell would break lose.

Zos really need to figure out how to release the new content to *ALL* their players at the same time, its not much to ask for in 2025!

SilverBride · June 13

I've always wondered why they do it that way.

As a PC player, I would be fine waiting until content is ready for console too, so it could release to everyone at the same time.

robwolf666 · June 13

SilverBride wrote: »

I've always wondered why they do it that way.

As a PC player, I would be fine waiting until content is ready for console too, so it could release to everyone at the same time.

It has to go through testing or some such first, at least on XB.

XSTRONG · June 13

SilverBride wrote: »

I've always wondered why they do it that way.

As a PC player, I would be fine waiting until content is ready for console too, so it could release to everyone at the same time.

Finally a Eso PC player who understand that new content should be released to ALL Eso players at once

Toanis · June 13

Yeah, but that would just mean PC users have to wait until Sony/Microsoft approve the new content. And when there are game-breaking bugs, they'd have to roll back and re-release the update in another 2 weeks until the patch is approved for the consoles.

The way it is, the platform that can get emergency fixes on the same day does the testing for the platforms where a 3rd party slows down things.

LunaFlora · June 13

it does include us, console players, as nothing changed. we still get quarterly updates per usual.

zos releases updates on PC immediately when possible because they can. And i agree completely with the comment above mine.

why release updates 2 weeks later on PC even though it's already ready for release?

Its_MySniff · June 13

I'm fine with the wait. I get to learn about the issues before I play so It's a win for me.

DenverRalphy · June 13

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

Hapexamendios · June 13

I've never had any issues with it.

Danikat · June 13

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

DenverRalphy · June 13

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

katanagirl1 · June 14

It used to be a good thing, bugs were patched before we got it. Not so anymore.

I don’t really care about the wait, but it is really hard to avoid spoilers here on the forums for two weeks.

GeneralGrundmann · June 14

I'm on PS-EU and for me it's totally fine that the PC-players are the true beta-testers for two weeks before we get the updates.

Ph1p · June 14

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Consoles require a certification process for major updates, which typically takes 1-2 weeks to complete. It's not difficult for ZOS to include that in their roadmap and planning, especially after a decade of dealing with it, but beyond that there are no assurances to be had. Any game that announces concurrent release dates (e.g., because of crossplay) has accounted for this certification process as well. It is a well-known and well-documented burden for game developers and a source of uncertainty that they have to live with.

Danikat · June 14

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Console certification is a widely known process that's been a requirement for (almost) all consoles since the 80's. All console games and major updates have to go through it.

But that means any game developer who isn't a complete amatuer knows about it, and what the requirements will be before they start so they can be reasonably sure their game will pass certification, and big developers like ZOS can work directly with Microsoft and Sony if they have questions or expect any problems, even before sending the update off for certification. That means they can plan release dates factoring in the standard certification time (which is 2 weeks) and be sure their game will be approved by then.

But they still have to get certification, and that means they need to plan that 2 week process into their release schedule. The update has to be finished before it can be certified and since that process isn't required for PC games their choices are hold back a completed update for 2 weeks so everyone gets it together, or release it to each platform as soon as they can.

ADarklore · June 14

Well, the thing with ZOS is that they don't give enough time between PTS and console certification. They basically use the PC release as a second 'test server' so that IF something catastrophic is found before console release, they can cancel the release until after fixes are made. After all, they'd rather have a large number of PC players upset than two major console manufacturers.

DenverRalphy · June 14

Ph1p wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Consoles require a certification process for major updates, which typically takes 1-2 weeks to complete. It's not difficult for ZOS to include that in their roadmap and planning, especially after a decade of dealing with it, but beyond that there are no assurances to be had. Any game that announces concurrent release dates (e.g., because of crossplay) has accounted for this certification process as well. It is a well-known and well-documented burden for game developers and a source of uncertainty that they have to live with.

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Console certification is a widely known process that's been a requirement for (almost) all consoles since the 80's. All console games and major updates have to go through it.

But that means any game developer who isn't a complete amatuer knows about it, and what the requirements will be before they start so they can be reasonably sure their game will pass certification, and big developers like ZOS can work directly with Microsoft and Sony if they have questions or expect any problems, even before sending the update off for certification. That means they can plan release dates factoring in the standard certification time (which is 2 weeks) and be sure their game will be approved by then.

But they still have to get certification, and that means they need to plan that 2 week process into their release schedule. The update has to be finished before it can be certified and since that process isn't required for PC games their choices are hold back a completed update for 2 weeks so everyone gets it together, or release it to each platform as soon as they can.

You missed the point entirely. The point is simply this... The approval process isn't the reason for staggered releases. It is not what is preventing them from scheduling the PC release to be concurrent with the console releases.

They could simply schedule the PC release to coincide with consoles. But they don't. So the reason is either they just don't care that console players get the second hand treatment (which I doubt), or there is another limiting factor preventing them from doing so.

After all. If it was just a matter of them changing their release schedule protocol to support cross play ability, then they've just been sticking it to consoles for over a decade now.

valenwood_vegan · June 14

If it were up to me, all platforms would receive updates at the same time, unless there was some really good reason for staggered releases. It's not up to me and I'm not going to speculate.

But... no one's being *excluded*, it's just a delay... and there's really nothing special about the new "seasonal" model that makes this any different than previous content releases. (I think it's a bit unfortunate that they chose to repackage eso's content under that particular name, as many people associate the term season with different content models in other games, but it's just a chapter repackaged).

DenverRalphy · June 14

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

If it were up to me, all platforms would receive updates at the same time, unless there was some really good reason for staggered releases. It's not up to me and I'm not going to speculate.

But... no one's being *excluded*, it's just a delay... and there's really nothing special about the new "seasonal" model that makes this any different than previous content releases. (I think it's a bit unfortunate that they chose to repackage eso's content under that particular name, as many people associate the term season with different content models in other games, but it's just a chapter repackaged).

Many could argue that two platforms being denied a spoiler free opportunity to explore and enjoy the content could be viewed as being excluded.

valenwood_vegan · June 14

DenverRalphy wrote: »

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

If it were up to me, all platforms would receive updates at the same time, unless there was some really good reason for staggered releases. It's not up to me and I'm not going to speculate.

But... no one's being *excluded*, it's just a delay... and there's really nothing special about the new "seasonal" model that makes this any different than previous content releases. (I think it's a bit unfortunate that they chose to repackage eso's content under that particular name, as many people associate the term season with different content models in other games, but it's just a chapter repackaged).

Many could argue that two platforms being denied a spoiler free opportunity to explore and enjoy the content could be viewed as being excluded.

I guess they better get rid of PTS too then.

DenverRalphy · June 14

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

If it were up to me, all platforms would receive updates at the same time, unless there was some really good reason for staggered releases. It's not up to me and I'm not going to speculate.

But... no one's being *excluded*, it's just a delay... and there's really nothing special about the new "seasonal" model that makes this any different than previous content releases. (I think it's a bit unfortunate that they chose to repackage eso's content under that particular name, as many people associate the term season with different content models in other games, but it's just a chapter repackaged).

Many could argue that two platforms being denied a spoiler free opportunity to explore and enjoy the content could be viewed as being excluded.

I guess they better get rid of PTS too then.

It's easy for a player to ignore the PTS forum, as it's separated from the rest of the sub forums. But the moment PC Live releases, discussions about it are plastered all over every forum, social mediea, and all the content creator sites, where even headlines and thread topics will contain spoilers. Huge difference.

Ph1p · June 14

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Ph1p wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Consoles require a certification process for major updates, which typically takes 1-2 weeks to complete. It's not difficult for ZOS to include that in their roadmap and planning, especially after a decade of dealing with it, but beyond that there are no assurances to be had. Any game that announces concurrent release dates (e.g., because of crossplay) has accounted for this certification process as well. It is a well-known and well-documented burden for game developers and a source of uncertainty that they have to live with.

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Console certification is a widely known process that's been a requirement for (almost) all consoles since the 80's. All console games and major updates have to go through it.

But that means any game developer who isn't a complete amatuer knows about it, and what the requirements will be before they start so they can be reasonably sure their game will pass certification, and big developers like ZOS can work directly with Microsoft and Sony if they have questions or expect any problems, even before sending the update off for certification. That means they can plan release dates factoring in the standard certification time (which is 2 weeks) and be sure their game will be approved by then.

But they still have to get certification, and that means they need to plan that 2 week process into their release schedule. The update has to be finished before it can be certified and since that process isn't required for PC games their choices are hold back a completed update for 2 weeks so everyone gets it together, or release it to each platform as soon as they can.

You missed the point entirely. The point is simply this... The approval process isn't the reason for staggered releases. It is not what is preventing them from scheduling the PC release to be concurrent with the console releases.

They could simply schedule the PC release to coincide with consoles. But they don't. So the reason is either they just don't care that console players get the second hand treatment (which I doubt), or there is another limiting factor preventing them from doing so.

After all. If it was just a matter of them changing their release schedule protocol to support cross play ability, then they've just been sticking it to consoles for over a decade now.

The console certification process makes console development take longer than for PC, so it's a key underlying reason why releases can be staggered in the first place. On top of that, ZOS actively chooses to not delay the PC release. Reasons for that could include:

With a stretched out release schedule, they can generate buzz and player engagement over a longer period of time.
Bugs and other issues can be uncovered and potentially fixed earlier. Console players might actually benefit from faster hot-fixes, for example.
It's probably healthier for ZOS' employees, as workload gets shifted over two weeks and fewer customer support issues pop up at the same time.
It's only two weeks under normal circumstances, but if given a choice, no company wants to delay revenue generation by just sitting idly on finished content.

Of course, console players are inconvenienced by having to wait longer and potentially encountering spoilers. But let's stop pretending ZOS is somehow "sticking it to consoles" on purpose.

DenverRalphy · June 15

Ph1p wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Ph1p wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Consoles require a certification process for major updates, which typically takes 1-2 weeks to complete. It's not difficult for ZOS to include that in their roadmap and planning, especially after a decade of dealing with it, but beyond that there are no assurances to be had. Any game that announces concurrent release dates (e.g., because of crossplay) has accounted for this certification process as well. It is a well-known and well-documented burden for game developers and a source of uncertainty that they have to live with.

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

DenverRalphy wrote: »

Another reason cross play isn't going to arrive any time soon. Staggered releases wouldn't work with it.

They'd just hold back the PC release until it was approved for consoles as well, like other companies do. Like how they stopped doing additional bug fix updates on PC when Stadia was around, because they used the PC servers and updates to Stadia had to go through a similar approval process.

I seriously doubt it's a "waiting on approval" issue causing the staggered releases. The release dates are scheduled several months in advance. They're announced during the live streams long beforehand. They're not going to announce a release date without any assurances.

Otherwise they'd already be timing the releases to be concurrent.

Console certification is a widely known process that's been a requirement for (almost) all consoles since the 80's. All console games and major updates have to go through it.

But that means any game developer who isn't a complete amatuer knows about it, and what the requirements will be before they start so they can be reasonably sure their game will pass certification, and big developers like ZOS can work directly with Microsoft and Sony if they have questions or expect any problems, even before sending the update off for certification. That means they can plan release dates factoring in the standard certification time (which is 2 weeks) and be sure their game will be approved by then.

But they still have to get certification, and that means they need to plan that 2 week process into their release schedule. The update has to be finished before it can be certified and since that process isn't required for PC games their choices are hold back a completed update for 2 weeks so everyone gets it together, or release it to each platform as soon as they can.

You missed the point entirely. The point is simply this... The approval process isn't the reason for staggered releases. It is not what is preventing them from scheduling the PC release to be concurrent with the console releases.

They could simply schedule the PC release to coincide with consoles. But they don't. So the reason is either they just don't care that console players get the second hand treatment (which I doubt), or there is another limiting factor preventing them from doing so.

After all. If it was just a matter of them changing their release schedule protocol to support cross play ability, then they've just been sticking it to consoles for over a decade now.

<snipped for brevity>
Of course, console players are inconvenienced by having to wait longer and potentially encountering spoilers. But let's stop pretending ZOS is somehow "sticking it to consoles" on purpose.

If over the last decade they could have released concurrently but willingly chose not to, then yes, that would be akin to "sticking it to consoles".

But I did not accuse them of that now did I? I very specifically stated that there has to be another reason they stagger the releases, because I don't believe they would willingly choose to do so.

Diebesgut · June 15

...that's a good thing, the PC players find all the bugs and after 2 weeks we get the slightly better version 😬 ...

Meiox · June 15

Toanis wrote: »

Yeah, but that would just mean PC users have to wait until Sony/Microsoft approve the new content. And when there are game-breaking bugs, they'd have to roll back and re-release the update in another 2 weeks until the patch is approved for the consoles.

The way it is, the platform that can get emergency fixes on the same day does the testing for the platforms where a 3rd party slows down things.

didn't Stadia had a similar approval system like ps/xbox, but they managed to release it at the same time as pc, since with stadia you played on the pc server

Maitsukas · June 15

Meiox wrote: »

Toanis wrote: »

Yeah, but that would just mean PC users have to wait until Sony/Microsoft approve the new content. And when there are game-breaking bugs, they'd have to roll back and re-release the update in another 2 weeks until the patch is approved for the consoles.

The way it is, the platform that can get emergency fixes on the same day does the testing for the platforms where a 3rd party slows down things.

didn't Stadia had a similar approval system like ps/xbox, but they managed to release it at the same time as pc, since with stadia you played on the pc server

Stadia also forced PC to switch the update release schedule from it's original weekly patch (Morrowind for example had patch 3.0.5 released on May 22, 2017, 3.0.6 on May 30, 3.0.7 on June 5, 2017, etc. until eventually the final quarterly game version was somewhere between X X.10 and X.X.14) to every two weeks as it is now. I wonder why it hasn't been switched back since it was shut down in January 2023.

Cooperharley · June 15

It’d be nice, sure, if it released on the same day for everyone, but I don’t personally mind all that much. It’s kinda nice seeing not just PTS players posting about live issues and ZOS becoming aware of things as a lot more reports file in and then we pop in 2 weeks after and kick our feet up 🤷🏻‍♂️

ADarklore · June 15

I am sure once they implement cross-play that obviously they'll have to release to all systems on the same day. Again, I honestly think ZOS posts to PC first because, 1) it's easier because they control the PC servers, and 2) so that way PC players can find any bugs or potential exploits BEFORE it goes Live on consoles.

XSTRONG · June 16

I saw Eso posting on their Facebook page asking "what was great with update 46"

Them asking that and there is still 2-3 days left for Console players to be able to play it seems like a "we dont even acknowledged that console players exsist"

LunaFlora · June 16

XSTRONG wrote: »

I saw Eso posting on their Facebook page asking "what was great with update 46"

Them asking that and there is still 2-3 days left for Console players to be able to play it seems like a "we dont even acknowledged that console players exsist"

You could also respond to that post on Wednesday.
2 days before the update releases on consoles really doesn't mean they're not acknowledging us. the post isn't limited time like a crown store item

DenverRalphy · June 16

LunaFlora wrote: »

XSTRONG wrote: »

I saw Eso posting on their Facebook page asking "what was great with update 46"

Them asking that and there is still 2-3 days left for Console players to be able to play it seems like a "we dont even acknowledged that console players exsist"

You could also respond to that post on Wednesday.
2 days before the update releases on consoles really doesn't mean they're not acknowledging us. the post isn't limited time like a crown store item

Responding to a post on Facebook 3 days later is like responding to a necro'd thread on the forums. You don't get to actually contribute to the conversation as much as if you were there when it was fresh. And that little contribution is often not much more than "yeah.. what everybody else said".