The Elder Scrolls: Blades Will Have Light Monetization, Says Todd Howard

Bethesda is bringing a brand new Elder Scrolls game for mobile devices in Fall 2018, and this brand new RPG will be playable entirely for free. Obviously, free-to-play games often have caveats, with some game developers opting for ludicrous monetization schemes to turn a quick profit. Apparently, gamers can rest at ease that The Elder Scrolls: Blades will not implement anti-consumer practices, as Bethesda is aiming to maintain a light approach to monetization.

Speaking to GameIndustry.biz, studio head Todd Howard said Bethesda hopes to maintain the same “lighter touch with monetisation” as Fallout Shelter for its upcoming The Elder Scrolls: Blades. For Howard, monetization strategies should not be limited to timer-based microtransactions and should consider “a lot of areas of attack.”

“How do we keep somebody who’s playing the game a lot?” said Howard. “How do we give them value beyond ‘here’s a timer, give us some money’?”

Howard also hopes to successfully tap into the Chinese mobile gaming market. Unlike other parts of the world, China loves microtransaction-heavy games with a pay-to-win model. Regardless of this, Howard believes The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a perfect fit for the Chinese market. “It’s one of those things where if you look at Chinese games, people will tell you they need to be like this, they need to have this art style, they need to have crap all over the screen… But Blades, there’s nothing else like it, but I view that as a positive to whatever market it’s in.”

You can explore various villages, take on quests, rebuild your town, and engage in PvP with The Elder Scrolls: Blades on Android and iOS devices sometime in Fall 2018.