Im not sure if someone already post this, but here is a article from gamespot:

Elder Scrolls Online will eventually be free-to-play - anolyst

ZeniMax will launch http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-online/platform/pc/ with a monthly paid subscription model, but will in time transition the title to free-to-play, according to Nicholas Lovell, founder of game consultancy firm Gamesbrief.

"I still believe that subscription games are on the way out," Lovell told http://www.edge-online.com/news/lovell-elder-scrolls-online-will-use-subscription-model. "It is conceivable that Bethesda will launch with a subscription service to attract the early adopters, because that is the model they understand."
He added, "They will switch to free-to-play later, in the same way that many iOS games go from paid to freemium over their lifetime. EA is struggling with The Old Republic, [but] almost everyone else is transitioning to free-to-play."

http://www.gamespot.com/news/elder-scrolls-online-will-eventually-be-free-to-play-anolyst-6375882

I dont know about you guys, but Im not paying monthly fees anymore. So, TES:O is a no go for me.

They want to cash as big as they can at launch when there's an audience peak. I don't like monthly fee but if the game is really good I doubt I will stay away.

Predictions like this are silly. I am pretty confident all MMO companies that are P2P, including Blizzard, has a Free to Play backup plan for when sales and subs dip too much.

If it's F2P, there's a chance I'll try it.

Zenimax needs to understand that monthly fees are a thing of the past.

I'd imagine so. It'd be terribly short sighted to assume your game will always do well - especially an MMO.

Blizzard should be releasing their numbers today. Should be interesting to see how big the decline is. I can't help but think a monthly fee MMO in 2013 is Too Late. You have to remember when EQ came out then WoW exploded there were no Words with Friends, Facebook games, etc. Also console online multiplayer has gotten much bigger. People are just getting their virtual fix in different ways now.

This title is very misleading. The original title from the link is "Elder Scrolls Online will eventually be free-to-play - anolyst" then the OP shortened it to "Elder Scrolls Online will eventually be free-to-play".

This prediction is from some anolyst who has no official capacity at Zenimax.

That is why i'm getting Guild Wars 2

Sry about that, not intended. A Moderator can edit please?

I'll play this even with a monthly fee, if I like it, and if the fee isn't huge(15-20e/month) I mean I can live with 10e/month but not much higher. F2P would be great though, so GW2 might just lure me out of this, even if TESO comes out great but with a fee.

lol i love the reasoning for the monthly fee, it just what we understand,

i understand this game is going to svck balls.

I've been telling people this is what's going to happen !

Quote - If ZOS doesn't come up with something original TESO will be a commercial failure. They need some special core mechanic and/or endgame content that separates it from other MMOs. And they'll need to make it subscription-free to have any chance to begin with.

A decision they wont like I'm sure, but they'll be forced to make it. If not, they're only going to sell the first wave of copies and that's it. TESO wont have any long-term prospect when compared to its market contenders.

what i dont understand is why they took a great game and [censored] all over it, why change so much of what the fans like? da [censored]?

At that point I might start playing.

Should have been buy to play. I'll wait till it's free

I believe that monthly fees, especially for MMOs with a big development budget, are a necessary evil in order to guarantee as much regular income as possible to cover development cost and ROIs

But I do agree that once the game goes into profit mode, the addition of a Freemium option, similar to how Turbine handled Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online, would be a smart move. You never do away with the subscription business model. You open your game up by allowing people to play a stripped down version of the core game which includes the main questline, and you give them the options of buying additional content and conveniences piecemeal. For LotRO, if you buy everything that a subscriber has access to, you ultimately spend around $300.00, which is round about what a lifetime subscription cost when it was offered. Also, those who would examine the Freemium pricing and compare it to the subsription option, they would see that the subscription is actually more cost effective, and many end up subbing because after playing for free, and purchasing some Freemium products, they discover they actually like the game.

I honestly seeing SWTOR going with a Freemium option within a year.

I see World of Warcraft going with a Freemium option when Blizzard releases Titan.

Free 2 Play = ILLUSION!
Have you seen all the free 2 play facebook games? Your mom probably spent 100￡ just on one day.

Is this the kind of people you want in your MMO game? People that pay for quick ways to "become powerful" while you are playing the Free 2 play with "no power", making you a easy target to svck into -the bigger money machine-

Free 2 Play cost more, that's the truth. You play for free but they take away your priviliages and make you buy for every single feature that was other wise free for only 14$ a month insted of paying 20$ to be able to have 1 more character spot or the ability to ride 3 more mounts.

sigh

Yeah Free to Play is anything but free and costs more in the long run. If TESO is solid I will happily pay a subscription and actually prefer that method but it will have to be really good. In my experience when a game goes f2p it immediately starts to go downhill. I hate cash shops.

Well, so long as the option to subscribe is always there, and it is actuallty more cost-effective to subscribe, if someone chooses NOT to subscribe, but spend the microtransaction price on things, whose fault is it? People are willing to spend money on stuff they WANT. But they will complain to no end if they have to pay for something they don't want. Some people would rather pay a little more to get just the elements they want rather than locking themselves into a monthly payment cycle.

I've bought a few things for Lord of the Rings Online under the Freemium plan. I've spent more in microtransactions in one month than I would have for a subscription, but here is one thing to consider:

While the subscription may grant you access to everything, if for any reason you cancel the subscription, you can still play, but you lose access to what you had. However, If you buy the elements through microtransactions, they are yours forever, subscribed or not. Buy every unlockable microtransaction, you have the equivilant of a lifetime subscription. How much you pay and how often you pay anything is up to you. If you are going to be committed to the game, and if you like how it is designed and what it offers, you will be, you won't mind buying a little here and a little there, if you're not subscribed. Most people invest in their hobbies. And really that is all this is.

The OP (and the anolyst he was quoting) was trying to say TESO will eventually become B2P, not F2P.

Regards,
Eno

EDIT: after lifetime subscriptions have been purchased ofc

In other words, F2P = UNFAIR GAMEPLAY for ALL. Those with big bucks in real life, get more in-game.

PLAYER TIER VIP PREMIUM PLAYER FREE PLAYER TURBINE POINTS 500/month Free
(can purchase more) or earn thru gameplay Purchasable
or earn thru gameplay Purchasable
or earn thru gameplay CONTENT World Access Free Free Free Epic Story Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Races 4 4 4 Core Classes All 7 Included All 7 Included All 7 Included Premium Classes* Purchasable Purchasable Purchasable Level Cap 75 75 75 Character Slots* 5 per server
(can purchase more) 3 per server
(can purchase more) 1 per server
(can purchase more) Quest Packs* Eriador, Lothlorien Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land, Lonelands
(can purchase more) Ered Luin, Shire, Bree-land, Lonelands
(can purchase more) KEY FEATURES Inventory 5 bags 3 bags
(can purchase more) 3 bags
(can purchase more) Gold Limit Maximum 5 Gold
(can purchase cap removal) 2 Gold
(can purchase cap removal) Priority Login Priority High Standard Chat Unlimited Limited Limited Auction 30 active listings
20 active bids 5 active listings
(can purchase more)
20 active bids Listings purchasable
20 active bids Mail Maximum Limited by currency cap Cannot mail currency Rest XP Automatic Not available Not Available Shared Bank Purchasable Purchasable Purchasable Skirmishes Maximum 11
(can purchase more) 11
(can purchase more) Legendary Items 6 slots
(can purchase more) 6 slots
(can purchase more) 6 slots
(can purchase more) Traits All 1 or 2 slots per trait type
(can purchase more) 1 or 2 slots per trait type
(can purchase more) Crafting Tier 1-7 available Tier 1-7 available Tier 1-7 available Crafting Guilds Unlimited Purchasable Purchasable Housing Available Available Available Music Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Hobbies Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Cosmetic System 3 outfits
(can purchase more) 3 outfits
(can purchase more) 3 outfits
(can purchase more) Shared Wardrobe 20 slots
(can purchase more) Purchasable Purchasable Destiny Points Can earn and spend Can earn but cannot spend Can earn but cannot spend Monster Play Unlimited Reaver class available
(can purchase others) Reaver class available
(can purchase others) Official Forums Read/Post Read/Post Read/Limited posting In-Game Support Full access Full access for 30 days following the purchase of Turbine points Self-service online Technical Support Full access Full access Full access Account Management Full access Full access
Full access

There you have Lord of the Rings Online Free 2 Play, sigh.

This was suppose to be a TES game, theres no such thing as "unfair game". If someone want to buy legendary itens with dollars, well, its their problem.

If I play this game, my only concern is have fun walking around, roleplaying my mage, I couldnt care less if your DPS is 10 times mine even if you dont have 1/10 of my skill. But, as I said, I wont pay monthly fees. I could buy this game just because Im crazy about TES, but Ill not pay 15$ every month.

I like that they won't be doing the subscription for long. I'm willing to pay monthly for this game because I'm just really excited. I was gonna buy SWTOR and when I found out it was a monthly fee game, I just didn't want it. I don't want it to be F2P. But I would like it to be buy to play, like GW2. But I don't mind scrapping up 14$ a month for ESO.

Sigh right back atcha...

Free to play is meant to introduce players to what the MMO in question is about and what it offers in terms of gameplay. Full unlimited access to the game is freely available. Those who are content to play within the limits of the free-to-play access tier are under no obligation to pay a dime. If they just like dabbling in the gameworld, they are free to do so. But if someone decides that they want more of what it has to offer, then the option to buy things in pieces or subscribe and get access to everything is there. When a person pays at least $5 in the LotRO store, they become Freemium players. Whatever they purchased is theres forever. If they wish to have full access to everything, they either pay roughtly a total of $299.00 to unlock it all forever, or they subscribe... And for the record, $299 is roughly a year and seven months in subscription fees.

And again, you only have to pay for what you want, and only when you are ready to. I don't see a problem with that.

Keep in mind that LotRO also does not require an initial purchase. You can hit their web site, download it for free, and jump right in. Turbine hopes that at least half of the people who try it for free are going to buy something from the store. And it is their further hope that at least half of the people who buy something from the store will subscribe.

Apparently it's working out pretty well because since LotRO added the Free and Fremium options to the game, they've managed to release more content than before. And LotRO was never in the red when it was only subscription-access.

No online game can be completely free or else they cant make money to update or hold the servers, therefor if it even goes free to play there will still be money options that are highly encouraged