The Elder Scrolls Online

72 / 100Role-playing (RPG)AdventureApril 4, 2014

Every legend starts somewhere and in The Elder Scrolls Online, it starts with you. Write your story into a vibrant chapter of Tamriel’s distant past that takes place nearly 1,000 years before the iconic TES V: Skyrim, and discover a world steeped in adventure and possibility.

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Elder Scrolls Online Dives Into Naval Combat With High Seas of Tamriel Event

The Elder Scrolls Online is charting new waters, quite literally, with its High Seas of Tamriel event, which introduces both ship-to-ship combat and underwater combat to the long-running MMO. Zenimax Online Studios has taken the game in a bold new direction, expanding its combat systems well beyond the land-based encounters players have come to expect over the years. PCGamesN sat down with the developers to find out exactly why the studio decided to make the nautical leap and how the new mechanics actually work in practice.

Oct 3, 2026

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Elder Scrolls Online Enters New Chapter with Bethesda Collaboration

After 12 years of operation and a wave of significant layoffs, The Elder Scrolls Online is reasserting its place in the MMO landscape. ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS) new leadership has gone on the record to confirm that the game is "here to stay," even as the studio navigates the aftermath of Xbox's recent round of cuts. The new lead at ZOS says the studio is now "entering a new chapter of collaboration across Bethesda," bringing in extra support from Bethesda proper to help keep the long-running MMO on track.

Jul 31, 2026

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Elder Scrolls Online Crown Store Scaled Back After Xbox Layoffs Hit ZeniMax

The Elder Scrolls Online is feeling the direct effects of Microsoft's sweeping Xbox layoffs, with developer ZeniMax Online Studios announcing significant changes to the game's Crown Store as a result of reduced "team bandwidth." The studio confirmed that the in-game store, which sells cosmetic items and other content for real money, will see a more limited offering going forward, as the remaining team works to navigate what Rock Paper Shotgun describes as a "transitional period."

Jul 23, 2026

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Elder Scrolls Online Leadership Layoffs Cast Shadow Over Game's Future

The Elder Scrolls Online is facing a deeply uncertain future after a wave of Xbox-related layoffs gutted the leadership team at ZeniMax Online Studios. Studio head Jo Burba is among roughly 200 employees cut from the developer, a loss that insiders say will have serious consequences for the game's ongoing content pipeline. ZeniMax has already acknowledged that its Seasons roadmap is "shifting" in the wake of the cuts, signaling that players should expect significant changes to how the live-service MMO is maintained going forward.

Jul 16, 2026

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Xbox's Massive Layoffs Gut Major Studios and Derail Key Projects

Microsoft's sweeping Xbox restructuring, which cut roughly 3,200 jobs, is continuing to send shockwaves across its first-party studios, and the full scale of the damage is only now coming into focus. ZeniMax Online Studios, the team behind The Elder Scrolls Online, has confirmed over 200 layoffs in Maryland, part of a broader 379-person cut across ZeniMax's Maryland workforce. Obsidian Entertainment is losing an estimated 60 to 70 employees, with a WARN notice confirming at least 52 cuts, representing roughly a quarter of the studio's staff. Meanwhile, id Software, the legendary studio behind Doom and Quake, has reportedly been so severely gutted that its ability to operate as a standalone development team is now in question, with newly revealed game concepts killed before they ever had a chance.

Jul 10, 2026

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Xbox Layoffs Gut Bethesda Studios, ESO Team Hit Hard as Focus Shifts to Big Franchises

Microsoft's latest sweeping round of Xbox layoffs has landed with devastating force across Bethesda and ZeniMax studios, with workers and union representatives confirming that teams have been deeply cut. The Elder Scrolls Online developer, ZeniMax Online Studios, has been described as "gutted," with senior talent departing and internal development roadmaps already reported to be "shifting" as a direct result of the job losses. id Software, the team behind DOOM, has also been hit hard, though reports suggest the studio has survived the cuts — albeit in a significantly reduced state.

Jul 7, 2026