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The Elder Scrolls Online console version delayed, new PC update hits in January

Those waiting on the console version of The Elder Scrolls Online have another while to wait still, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions delayed to next year. Meanwhile, the PC version is about to receive a substantial update in January.

Ozzie Mejia

December 5, 2014 12:15 PM

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True story: Two days ago, Chatty poster Rauol Duke was wondering about The Elder Scrolls Online and asked if the game was still set to come to consoles. Truth be told, it was hard to even remember that the game never did make it out to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as previously projected. In fact, well over six months had passed since the original delay was announced for those console versions. Well, now there's word coming from Bethesda and Zenimax about the console version of their Elder Scrolls MMO and that word is 2015.

"As I've mentioned, we have been (and will continue to be) steadily working on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of ESO," game director Matt Firor said on the Elder Scrolls blog. "They are playable and fun right now, but there's still some work to do before we can set an official launch date. First and foremost, we want to make sure that two of our most important systems still in development — the Justice and Champion Systems — are included in the console release. Those two systems will introduce a huge amount of content to the game, and we know everyone is looking forward to the new types of gameplay they provide."

Firor added that the console versions of ESO will not be ports of the current PC/Mac version and will feature its own console-specific UI, along with Xbox Live and PlayStation Network integrations.

As for current ESO owners on PC, expect to see a new update to the game in January. This update will feature the Champion and Justice systems that Firor alluded to, as well as new post-level 50 content. The Justice system may pique interest in former Skyrim players, as this will make all townspeople neutral and attackable, while many items will now be owned by NPCs. Meaning, yes, you can be a jerk now, but you'll likely become a fugitive for your efforts.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?