Zenimax Online Studios created The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) and released it seven years ago with a lukewarm reception. Most fans didn’t believe it felt like an Elder Scrolls game, so the team came together, creating an entirely new and open system. ESO became the open-world massively multiplayer online game (MMO) that Zenimax envisioned, allowing players to play through any location in the order they so choose. From there, Zenimax has found nothing but success. They look to continue that success with the incoming Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 enhanced version.

Blackwood Chapter and the Console Enhanced Update

The fifth expansion of the game – Blackwood – is on its way, packed with additional storylines, new dungeons, and a brand new companion system. While we can’t summon the companions in player-vs-player (PVP) areas and housing instances, they’re more than a simple non-player character (NPC) that will follow you around. As in life, we will have to pay attention to our companions, bonding with them to earn their trust. We may even take on personal quests for them.

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Most important, however, is the “Console Enhanced” update that comes with the Blackwood expansion. The update is completely free and will harness the power of the new consoles in a bid to make ESO play like the PC version. Will it succeed? The console version will run at 60 frames per second in performance mode, previously capped at 30 fps. PC players can uncap their framerate and reach 120 fps. There will be a fidelity mode that prioritizes resolution.

Also, on the list of updates is the most crucial reason to enhanced older titles: The loading times. The ability to jump back into ESO without the hassle of long loading times is enough reason to return to the game.

The fans decide when ESO is over

Successful MMOs find longevity and make us wonder when people will grow tired of them. The Elder Scrolls Online is another game with highs and lows that make gamers wonder how long it can survive. In an interview with the Washington Post, Matt Firor – president of Zenimax Online Studios – stated, “I think the answer is pretty easy. The community will tell us when the game is starting to be done and they have not at all yet. We’re still, in many ways, growing.”

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Firor also paints a picture of the different gamers who keep ESO alive. New players always come in, followed by people who hop back on to experience any new content. Then, there are the devoted players who play daily. These three groups are equally important to the game and its staying power.  I say there’s a fourth set of ESO players – those who were obsessed with it daily but had to put it down to tackle their back catalog. I’m part of this fourth group I’m proposing, and I’m ready to dive right back in full-time. Is anyone going to join me? See you June 8th, 2021, when the Console Enhanced version arrives.

If you want to try ESO without paying for it, it is available on the Xbox Game Pass AND PS Now. The Game Pass version includes The Elder Scrolls Online base game and the Morrowind Chapter. PS Now only includes the base game, and you will have to purchase the Morrowind Chapter to play it.