When The Elder Scrolls Onlinelaunches in April it will be as a subscription-based multiplayer RPG, unlike most of its rivals which have opted for a free-to-play model. The reason for this, publisher Bethesda has explained, is that it means the game can be supported with constant hefty updates that keep the game fresh.
"We feel pretty strongly about the support we're going to have for the game and what you're going to get for those dollars," Pete Hines, the company's vice president and PR man, has told Gamespot. "We're also very confident in our ability to support it with content. And not content of the magnitude of, it's a new month, here's a new sword or here's a funny hat, but content that is real and significant and it feels like regular and consistent DLC releases."
On the topic of DLC, Hines also explained that the game won't follow the model of offering DLC packs as separate purchases, because it needs to ensure that all players have access to the same game content. "When you're talking about regular content, adding new features and new parts of the world, either you're all in or you're not," he said.
The Elder Scrolls Online launches for PC and Mac on April 4th. It's also coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June.