The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4: Your Questions Answered

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The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4: Your Questions Answered
Matt Firor Game Director, ZeniMax Online Studios

Note: Details around The Elder Scrolls Online online access have changed since this article was published.

We’ve gotten a ton of great questions from the PlayStation community, who are eager to learn more about the PS4 release of The Elder Scrolls Online. While we’re still several months from the game’s June release, we want to make sure we’re keeping you up-to-date as things progress in development.

One question we’ve been frequently hearing is whether or not a PlayStation Plus membership will be required to play The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4. We kick off with the answer to that, followed by answers to several other questions you’ve submitted via Twitter. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions, and thanks for all your support. We love to hear from the community — keep the questions coming.

The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4

Will playing online with The Elder Scrolls Online have a separate subscription compared to PlayStation Plus? — @NathanaelMoner
A PlayStation Plus membership is not required to play The Elder Scrolls Online. PS4 players will only be required to pay the same monthly subscription associated with The Elder Scrolls Online that PC and Mac users will pay—nothing more.
Will PS4 servers be split between EU and NA, or will we be on one megaserver? — @TsoriGaming
They will be split. PS4 users will play The Elder Scrolls Online on either the European PS4 megaserver or the North American PS4 megaserver. We’ll share more details about how this will work closer to launch.
Will PS4 users be on the same severs as PC users? — @Adzaofoz
PS4 users will have their own dedicated ESO megaservers (European and North American). PC and Mac users will not be on the PS4 megaservers. This is good news for PS4 players as they won’t have to worry about contending with higher-level PC players when ESO launches on PS4.

The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4

How are you guys going to incorporate an action bar on console? Or what will the substitution be?? — @AdamJ_Floyd
We’re still testing and tweaking different DualShock 4 button mapping configurations, but we’re very happy with the gameplay experience on PS4. Abilities are conveniently accessible for fun “on the couch” gameplay, and the team is really happy with how it’s coming along. We’ll have more specifics to share about this topic later this year.
How will you be utilizing and using the touchpad on the PS4 controller in-game? — @SamiRocklynn
We love the additional functionality of the DualShock 4 touchpad. We’re playing with a couple of different button configurations to find the best and most intuitive use for the touchpad.
How much space will it take up on the PS4 HDD? — @DexMProductions
While details aren’t yet finalized, PS4 offers an HDD with a tremendous amount of memory. There is plenty of HDD memory available for the game and for years of continuous post-launch content that will be released for The Elder Scrolls Online.

The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4

How will the controls be mapped on PS4? Will it be similar to Skyrim on a controller? — @Brandon_Roark_
Throughout ESO’s development, our goal has been to create an MMO that is fun to play and is familiar to Skyrim fans. Gameplay in ESO isn’t identical to Skyrim, so naturally we’ve made some button configuration changes to reflect the differences, such as the use of abilities. At the same time, there are a lot of controller configuration similarities between Skyrim and ESO.
Will PvE instances, like dungeons, offer a single player mode? — @maheirem
The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMO that was designed to give the gamer freedom to play with others, or alone. That said, there are instances and areas that are specifically designed and tuned to be taken on with friends.
When does the PlayStation beta start? And when should we expect beta invites? — @Wretched86
We do not yet have a date or timeframe to share, but we can assure you that there will be an ESO beta exclusively for PlayStation 4 fans later this year. Keep an eye on elderscrollsonline.com, as well as here on PlayStation.Blog, for further details!

From all of us here on The Elder Scrolls Online team — a big thanks to the PlayStation community for being so supportive. If you haven’t signed up for the PS4 ESO beta yet, you can do so here.

We’ll see you in Tamriel on PS4 later this year!

bethesdaplaystation gamesthe elder scrolls onlinezenimax

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108 Comments

  • Balrathamir
    January 28, 2014 at 6:45 am PST

    Still no answer about shared Subscriptions between PS4 and PC. I don’t mind having to buy the retail game twice, but double the monthly Sub is a bit much! I have friends that will be playing on both formats and I don’t want to have to choose between them!

  • G-Force08
    January 28, 2014 at 6:46 am PST

    I think I would have asked a few other questions, such as:

    – Has any button mapping for PS4/Vita remote play been tested?

    – Any second screen or companion apps in the works?

    – Will there be keyboard and mouse support on the PS4?

    – How do the PS4 graphics and performance compare to mid to high range PC versions of the game at this stage?

    I’m still keeping my eye on this game. I don’t have too much time to put into MMOs but I’m still interested in it. If anything, this and FF XIV should hold me over until EverQuest Next on PS4. ;)

  • beatingu
    January 28, 2014 at 6:47 am PST

    So I will be faced with having a set of PC characters and a set of PS4 characters… not sweet. I have to do this on DCO – I have expansion packs on the PC but need to buy them all over again to play them on the PS3/4. I’ll just skip ESO on the PS4 then to avoid any confusion two character sets will cause me.

  • lisatsunami
    January 28, 2014 at 6:52 am PST

    Even if I don’t get in the beta, I hope we can watch live gameplay via the Twitch app on PS4. I love the Elder Scrolls series.

  • John-Shooter
    January 28, 2014 at 6:58 am PST

    didnt really care much for it now that i finally got into the beta.. i’ll be sticking w/ FF: ARR in april

  • faraway25
    January 28, 2014 at 6:58 am PST

    I dont like their answer to how much hdd place it takes. Its under 500gb….gee thanks.

  • simpatikool
    January 28, 2014 at 7:06 am PST

    I wish we could see some game play. Really the only game out there that I am interested in for a PS4 is ESO. That game is actually driving my interest in switching out to a PS4 this year.

  • SureBigBuster
    January 28, 2014 at 7:07 am PST

    I’m a HUGE Elder Scrolls fan but I’m NOT paying any monthly fee. Sadly skipping this one and waiting for Fallout 4…

  • Ahkiva
    January 28, 2014 at 7:09 am PST

    definitely disappointed we can’t play with PC users, some of my best teammates on FFXIV are PC players

    you don’t compete with high level characters, in MMOs they are a great help

  • TheWintendoHii
    January 28, 2014 at 7:30 am PST

    Well that’s pointless… who owns a PS4 and doesn’t have a PS Plus subscription already considering its mandatory for online play? It would make more sense if you have a PS Plus subscription, you pay a reduced subscription fee for TES:Online or no subscription fee at all…

  • guitarded77
    January 28, 2014 at 7:31 am PST

    How you gonna title it “Questions Answered” when hardly any questions were answered?

  • GamerZ-Elite-
    January 28, 2014 at 7:34 am PST

    $15 per month subscription and PS Plus. Deal Breaker… move

  • Blackballhog
    January 28, 2014 at 7:43 am PST

    #1, it definitely sounds like you will be paying double in order to play on 2 different servers,
    I agree with almost every comment so far, most people paying monthly for an MMO are probably already paying for Plus so how about a discount? Since when is not having pc players on same server a good thing? And after that not a solid answer was given…Great Q&A

  • mastorofpuppetz
    January 28, 2014 at 7:43 am PST

    @12 not sure if you even read the article you do NOT need PS plus. Either way most have plus anyway on PS4 for other games.

  • mastorofpuppetz
    January 28, 2014 at 7:44 am PST

    @8 will fallout 4 have near the content, group content, raids of an MMo? no.

  • StealthBlade98
    January 28, 2014 at 7:51 am PST

    The one thing i hate about ESO is the monthly subscriptions like, seriously, MMO monthly subscription based models are a DYING breed. Literally no one is pushing to keep that model for MMO’s outside of World of Warcraft. Why Zenimax thinks this will attract players is beyond me. have they not learned from games like DC Universe or Star Wars MMO where they originally were subscription based but was losing alot of money and fans it switched to micro-transactions? Want to know why? Because that IS THE FUTURE of MMO’s. Not subscription based. smh

    I’d rather pay $39 dollars for the game Plus mini dlc’s to support the game and everything rather than just pay $15 per month which equals to $180 dollars a year on top of the games cost. It’s flipping ridiculous. With that money I could buy a PS Vita or a PC monitor + Ram.

    Anyway, outside of that rant i wonder if the PS4 version will have console commands? it’s definitely possible imo

  • SureBigBuster
    January 28, 2014 at 7:54 am PST

    @15 who cares? It’s going to be open world madness on next gen and we won’t have to pay any stupid monthly fee

  • SureBigBuster
    January 28, 2014 at 7:56 am PST

    PC gamers are used to paying for fees, console gamers (myself included) are not. I refuse to pay anything outside of the $60 retail price

  • mastorofpuppetz
    January 28, 2014 at 7:57 am PST

    @17 and its nothing like an mmo and had no group content and 1/10th of the content, Thats why peopel play MMo’s, huge scale and group content. Cannot to 30 man raids in fallout 4. Not to mention new content all the time.

  • mastorofpuppetz
    January 28, 2014 at 7:58 am PST

    @16. Subs are coming back ff14 has been a huge success, they already made more money on ff14 then any FF game. f2p don;t have the content sub mmo’s do.

  • Balrathamir
    January 28, 2014 at 7:59 am PST

    I really hope ESO and Zenimax sticks to their guns and stays subscription based, even if they don’t do dual subscriptions.

    I’ve played my fair share of F2P MMOs and they all had something in common. A lack of content. I’d rather pay a fee per month and have active work on expanding the game with timely updates as opposed to having to buy the ability to raid limited content.

    Subs all the way.

  • StealthBlade98
    January 28, 2014 at 8:08 am PST

    Good luck spending 180 dollars a year on a game that’s not even worth that much yearly. There’s better ways to utilize mmo’s through micro-transactions while maintaining the amount of content. Alot of PC MMO’s has done this for several years now. The issue is how the developers use the system.

    Also I don’t care about FF14 in this instance. Subs are not coming back btw, the concept is not being adopted by most MMO’s these days outside of the juggernaut W@W and funnily enough they have dropped quite alot of players in the past 5 years, according to statistics they went from 10 million players(or subs) to 7 million in a matter of 5 years. And for WoW that’s HUGE drop. And alot of analysts and gamers are already sensing it’ll be dropping even more as time goes on.

  • StealthBlade98
    January 28, 2014 at 8:08 am PST

    ….(continued)
    Believe me when I say this model will not be adopted totally in the next 3-8 years. It’s no appealing and it cannot attract more users to play the game. no one has that much money per year to spend on one game, it’s literally ridiculous as you’d want to spend that money on other things. Like I could spend 180 on 3-5 games I want to play right now over the course of this year. Why spend it all on some MMO? this MMO is not going anywhere either. It’s going to last for MANY years, no point throwing a model that is outdated and expensive for people. It’s like having a relationship and making sacrifices to stay with your partner. You can’t have fun with other people because you need to be loyal to the one you have. MMO’s are a long term investment which costs more yearly than buying individual games.

  • Virtual_Genocide
    January 28, 2014 at 8:11 am PST

    To the people complaining about the PS Plus account fees- First of all, they said you DON’T need a PS Plus account to play.

    Second- Why should you get a discount on a non Sony game just because you pay Sony for PS Plus? Why not complain that you should get a discount because you already pay for internet? Crap.. You paid $400 for your PS4.. You should be entitled to all the games and services for free, and they should give you back massages while you play!! :-/

    Sure, in my perfect world everything would be free, but unfortunately most of us live in reality, and just about everything costs money here.

  • StealthBlade98
    January 28, 2014 at 8:18 am PST

    The only problem with that logic is both PS3 and PS4 has wifi capabilities. You could literally piggy back off someone or some hotspot to play online. That whole “internet” comparison seems a bit weak. I don’t think anyone wants to take that scenario that far with 400 system and all games being free.

    I’m also confused as to why ESO doesn’t require PSN+ to play online. It’s a ONLINE game and Sony stated you need it to play ANY online game now. It’s mandatory it makes 0 sense that it isn’t part of the PSN+.

  • Balrathamir
    January 28, 2014 at 8:20 am PST

    @StealthBlade

    Your comparison is flawed when putting an MMO next to something like COD. Sure with a game like COD or GTA:V you got an online experience and a full single player game that you paid for. You did not get everything else you get with an MMO, which to be successful needs a constant stream of updates and new content.

    I will agree, playing an MMO is a costly investment over the long term, but remember that F2P in the case of MMOs can cause to to pay even more than you would for a subscription.

    My preference at the moment is still for a subscription model, which contrary to your opinion is something that not just MMOs but other service providers are moving towards.

  • ChadblooD12
    January 28, 2014 at 8:27 am PST

    awesome

  • Jisatsu_Kiddo
    January 28, 2014 at 8:42 am PST

    @16
    “The one thing i hate about ESO is the monthly subscriptions like, seriously, MMO monthly subscription based models are a DYING breed. Literally no one is pushing to keep that model for MMO’s”

    It’s time to join the real world. I know it’s hard for you youngins to pay monthly but save your allowance and you should be fine.

  • Jisatsu_Kiddo
    January 28, 2014 at 8:43 am PST

    “Sony stated you need it to play ANY online game now.” also no they didn’t, best to get your facts straight before running off at the mouth.

  • KidCommando
    January 28, 2014 at 8:46 am PST

    Don’t think I will ever feel comfortable paying $15/month to play a single game so passing on this is not very hard.

  • StealthBlade98
    January 28, 2014 at 8:55 am PST

    Excuse me? I think it’s better for you or anyone else to not assume what my age is just because of my stance on paid subs. I’m not a “youngin” or some teenager. I’m 27 years old and I do not like the whole concept of paid subs, it was fine years ago but as I stated it’s a dying breed. To someone claiming “it’s something service providers are moving towards” er no, that’s incorrect. It’s the other way around. Alot of previous MMO’s with that model realized it was bad for the MMO and turned out to be micro-transactions. I’ve know people who been playing MMO’s with that service since Ultima Online and they pretty much know that that service is not viable anymore and it’s the micro-transactions is the future. It makes sense realistically to throw a bunch of content out for people to purchase rather than force them to pay a huge amount yearly for the game. As I said you’re paying 220-230 dollars or so the first year you buy TESO. Then every year afterwards in 180. As opposed to paying 39-59.99 for the game and paying mini dlc’s as you go along to either lessen the amount of grinding you have to do or some other thing.

  • StealthBlade98
    January 28, 2014 at 8:55 am PST

    ……(continued)
    Sure in retrospect it might seem like you’ll pay more in comparison but I assure you it’s the proper way to move forward with MMO’s. The Paid subs were the original service dating back before year 2000 with MMO’s like UO(Ultima Online) before WoW came out by blizzard and took the MMO scene by storm. The Micro-content is the new model that started I believe around 2008-2009 and it’s became quite popular over the years, many older MMO’s has switched over to that model, including some of the newer ones like DC Universe and Star Wars The Old Republic were originally subbed based but as we all know it’s now adopted the free to play worldwide. And ALOT of F2P games are coming out now especially on PS4 console we’ll be seeing more and more of this type of service making it’s way. I see the same happening eventually for FF14 and likely ESO at some point.
    This sub might be temporary thing like TOR was where it needed 500,000 subs or players to be successful and will make the change.

  • KrisButtar
    January 28, 2014 at 9:13 am PST

    The thing I like about TES games is the freedoms you have with the games.. yet in this game we are required

    -To be a certain race to be in a certain Alliance sucks. So my friend wants to be a high elf and another wants to be an orc and I want to be an nord. Guess we are not playing with our friends then, and what is the point of a MMO? Don’t know how it can be “Skyrim with friends” when we can’t play with them.

    Other than that we all would’ve paid the subscription if I could play together as the game looks good. Maybe in the future you guys could change it and then you can welcome us into the fold.

  • saintaqua
    January 28, 2014 at 9:27 am PST

    I tried to sign up, all I get is an endless loop putting in my birth date and then clicking sign up and then birth date again…

  • Hayades
    January 28, 2014 at 9:30 am PST

    @Matt Firor I played the pc beta a few weeks ago. While playing I was making a list of things that didn’t work or didn’t make sense. I wanted to share what I found but the surveys were only agree/disagree questions. Is there a place where I can go to share and explain each point that need to be addressed? The game could be so much better but as it is right now….

  • claymoregirl
    January 28, 2014 at 9:51 am PST

    Well no matter what anyone else thinks, they answered my only question. I don’t have to pay for ps plus and since I have never payed for it and only used the free trail I have no complaints. The only other game I’m looking forward to is “the order” so I have a feeling I’ll be short on ps4 games until sometime in fall.

  • MaulRx
    January 28, 2014 at 10:19 am PST

    Looks great but sadly I don’t have the time in my life for an MMO.

  • PKLdude
    January 28, 2014 at 10:27 am PST

    @Stealthblade: The sub model isn’t what is bad, honestly I can’t see any game yet that has shown the b2p or f2p model to be a wonderful thing. What causes an mmo to go from sub to free isn’t the model but the game itself. They are released with little content, many bugs, and poor customer service. Therefore why would anyone want to pay for a game such as that? As a result they would go f2p (p2w usually) because they had lost the trust of the playerbase and wouldn’t get them back into a sub model. I am the same age as you and see the value in paying for something that is worth it. There is more incentive for a paid monthly subscription, if the company is doing it right, than a f2p/b2p/p2win model. Now if this game fails to live up to the experience then I won’t pay, but I wont blame the p2p model. Why everyone in this generation thinks everything should be free is just beyond me. **** no wonder markets have the hardest time making money, everything has gone over sees, and most of the crap you buy is just that “crap.” Well I guess people should enjoy all the free stuff now, good luck with capitalism in the future, hope you like the alternative comrade *clicks heels and nods head*.

  • JKar275
    January 28, 2014 at 10:38 am PST

    I’m very surprised (and upset) that ZeniMax has chosen the mandatory paid-subscription model for ESO. Have you not learned the lesson that SOE learned with DCUO on the PS3?

    I think that they’re making a huge mistake to think that in 2014, console gamers will actually pay $60 for an MMO game and then start paying a $15 monthly subscription fee (after the first 30 days).

    I still have bad memories of buying the PS3 version of DCUO for $60 (when it first came out) and a subscription fee for 3 months (after the first 30 days expired). I have learned my lesson that it pays to wait at least 6 months-1 year after an MMO releases on consoles before I play it. I predict that ESO will eventually become free-to-play with an optional subscription model sometime between Dec. 2014 and June 2015.

  • avatarguy
    January 28, 2014 at 11:08 am PST

    I’m so sorry to anyone that work ESO good luck in your future endeavours! Hopefully this won’t stop the new fallout. so sad to see such a successful company make such a huge mistake that will cost them. Learn from Star Trek online, Conan, DCUO, Star Wars knights of the old republic. I don’t believe you will ever be a “world of Warcraft success story” I hope I’m wrong.

  • Kchow23
    January 28, 2014 at 11:20 am PST

    Looking forward to trying the beta, but sadly I don’t think I would play the subscription fees since I tend to jump between games instead of sticking to just one.

  • o-mistborn-o
    January 28, 2014 at 12:12 pm PST

    “PS4 users will have their own dedicated ESO megaservers (European and North American). PC and Mac users will not be on the PS4 megaservers.”

    Don’t like this one bit. You can play, just not with any of your friends that play on PC. Cross platform servers are not new, SquareEnix has been doing them since 2002.

  • ThaiAssassin92
    January 28, 2014 at 12:31 pm PST

    Will PS+ members still get early beta access?

  • phat-smurf
    January 28, 2014 at 12:55 pm PST

    full priced game plus 15/month, no thanks. And pointing out that we dont need plus to play this game is kinda dumb, the majority of ps4 owners have plus so don’t make it sound like you are doing us a favour. also, for the record you didnt really answer any questions…

  • phat-smurf
    January 28, 2014 at 12:57 pm PST

    if anyone wants to play this, then just wait a couple months after this game flops hard and drops the subscription

  • jayrabbit
    January 28, 2014 at 12:57 pm PST

    Big big big question: kinect for the xbox had users able to do voice commands, will we be able to see this with the playstation camera?????

    The way plus members see it is even if its not required we personally are still having to push more money to continue our multiplayer experience on the PS4

    ff14 actually has been doing really well with the Console/PC model servers, great thing they dont know that its “good news” to have them separate

    Why are you still looking into control schemes? Ideally i would love for all controls to be player mapped, this is fairly common in mmo’s

  • Alaann
    January 28, 2014 at 1:00 pm PST

    will you be using the map to create a single player game without a sub,and with followers and houses

  • plaztiksyke
    January 28, 2014 at 1:59 pm PST

    1080p @ 30fps?
    3D support?
    use of DS4’s in-controller speaker?
    PS Move co-op support?

    None of the MMOs have grabbed me yet, but this looks interesting. If Star Trek MMO makes it to PS4 first, I may not see the light of day for some time ;)

    I really dislike how players are sharded by platform; I had hoped this inane practice would have stopped in next-gen. There’s lots of sharding strategies that aren’t platform-based (GeoIP, latency, XP/level, etc), so it seems like this goes to show that Sony is still having a heavy hand with publishers/developers :(

  • Shadowgrave89
    January 28, 2014 at 2:22 pm PST

    Sadly I will be skipping Elder Scrolls Online due to 3 main issue

    1. This day and age Playstation4 tech is higher and while Final Fantasy 14 is supporting Cross Platform Play this game is not and that a massive deal breaker.. Your none stop talk of “Mega Server” where everyone can play together and you split the game into 3 communities is a joke in itself

    2. The Sub… We all know your trying to make back development cost of the game with $60 + $15 then in 6 months you will be going Free or Buy to play it really forces a lot of gamer to shrug your game off. I would be more willing to pay the “Sub” if your game supported Cross Play on PC/PS4 like FF14 but you don’t want to kill MS fan base so you never will. Worst part is ESO is set to releases along with with other great titles and MMO’s that are free.

    3. Everything I read on this game and it setting during the Faction Wars makes this game is sound like nothing but PvP focus. Faction limitations, and not even true Sandbox like your other titles.. Really? This title is every other MMO on the market but ESO skinned

    All and all I hate to see this game fail but with the current mindset you’re all in this game will fall harder then Starwars the Old Republic

  • boomstickbhg
    January 28, 2014 at 3:20 pm PST

    Please answer the question about how much space the game will take up.

    the PS4 only comes with a 500GB drive, a chunk of which is taken up by default.

    With games being as big as 50GB and every game requiring a full installation, that is not a lot of space and is not conducive to many large updates beyond an initial launch size.

    Size matters, give us a real answer instead of sucking up to sony with bad information.

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