The Elder Scrolls Online is making some big changes in 2025 — Here’s what the developers are focusing on now

As a seasoned gamer and a dedicated follower of The Elder Scrolls Online (TESO) for over a decade now, I find myself both excited and apprehensive about the changes ZeniMax Online Studios is bringing to Tamriel in 2025.

There’s a few big shifts coming for ZeniMax Online Studios’ ongoing experience in Tamriel.

By the end of 2024, the leader of ZeniMax Online Studios, Matt Firor, extended a message to enthusiasts of The Elder Scrolls Online. In his communication, he highlighted the studio’s achievements and offered a glimpse into what players might experience in the year 2025.

The way content will be delivered in The Elder Scrolls Online is undergoing a significant transformation. Since 2017, the game has been releasing annual expansions known as Chapters, with the latest one, Gold Road, being launched just a few months ago. However, this approach is now being phased out, as the developers aim to explore new possibilities that aren’t feasible within shorter timeframes. Instead of Chapters, The Elder Scrolls Online is moving towards Seasons, where each Season lasts for either three or six months, offering a blend of story content, events, dungeons, and other exciting elements.

Concurrently with this major change, our team will be examining several areas for enhancement primarily from player suggestions. This encompasses boosting performance in Cyrodiil, enhancing combat sensations through animation and visual effects, and streamlining guild management and interaction. Additionally, the developers aim to upgrade the overall player experience with a more efficient patcher and user-friendly interface on PC.

As I gaze into the future, it appears there’s another content update on the horizon, arriving in March 2025. The team has something grand planned, which they intend to unveil in a significant announcement sometime in April 2025. This upcoming reveal is a departure from the usual January updates that we’ve been accustomed to with Chapters in the past.

ZeniMax Online Studios has another game in the works

The game The Elder Scrolls Online has been a steady earner for Xbox and Bethesda, despite not always receiving the recognition it deserves. It’s quite remarkable that the team has managed to keep the game going for so long. Adjusting the pace slightly and altering certain aspects of the game isn’t unexpected, but it does spark some curiosity for me.

One major reason my friends and I have relished playing The Elder Scrolls Online is that it didn’t feel tedious, allowing us to take extended breaks without feeling left behind. We could jump back in anytime without worrying about missing out on essential events or content. I hope the upcoming seasonal model maintains this player-friendly design approach.

It seems quite plausible that the growth and expansion of ZeniMax Online Studios’ team over the past few years is due to their ongoing development of a new game. The team has been growing significantly, and they are reportedly using an entirely novel engine for this project. By 2022, there were around 200 developers working on this mystery game, a figure that likely increased since then.

It’s possible that the Elder Scrolls Online team is utilizing this time to expand their creative space, but it might not be unexpected if they are simultaneously shifting some personnel towards the development of their unannounced project.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that ZeniMax Online Studios has joined the growing number of Xbox teams, such as those at Bethesda Game Studios and the World of Warcraft developers at Blizzard Entertainment, who are choosing to unionize.

Right now, you can play “The Elder Scrolls Online” on the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and even on Mac. Plus, the base game is part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription offer!

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2024-12-18 23:09