The Elder Scrolls Online will continue 'exactly as it was' following Microsoft purchase

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According to a statement made by ZeniMax Online studio director Matt Firor.

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Following the earth-shaking news that Microsoft has acquired ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, there have been a number of announcements today by everyone from Todd Howard to Phil Spencer to Pete Hines. Even John Carmack had something to say.

A lot of players, meanwhile, still have have questions about Bethesda games, and what changes will potentially be made to their releases and platforms, particularly when it comes to games on PlayStation. 

At least one of those questions has been answered: The Elder Scrolls Online will reportedly continue as normal after the acquisition. The reassurance comes from a statement by  ZeniMax Online studio director Matt Firor on Twitter.

"I want to take this moment to reassure the entire Elder Scrolls Online community that ESO will continue to be supported exactly as it was," says Firor, "and we fully expect it to keep growing and thriving on each of the platforms that are currently supported."

As announcements go it's probably not much of a surprise—I can't think of any reason Microsoft would mess with the long-running Elder Scrolls MMO, which is on Steam, Stadia, macOS, Xbox, PlayStation 4, and planned for PlayStation 5. But it's good new to hear regardless, and I'm sure many ESO players were curious. 

Christopher Livingston
Christopher Livingston
Senior Editor

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.