GameStop Gives Players Early Access to Elder Scrolls Online

Josh Engen

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Aug 19, 2013
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GameStop Gives Players Early Access to Elder Scrolls Online



Pre-ordering your copy of Elder Scrolls Online could give you a five-day head start.

Elder Scrolls Online won't hit retail shelves until April, but the wave of ESO-related news is already getting out of control. Yesterday, we learned that PlayStation 4 owners won't eight-minute trailer [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131735-The-Elder-Scrolls-Online-On-PS4-Will-Not-Require-PlayStation-Plus] this morning. Obviously, GameStop was feeling left out because the retailer has announced an Elder Scrolls Online collector's pack that includes early access to the PC edition of Bethesda's latest MMO.

In order to get five days of premature playtime, you'll need to pre-order a copy of the Imperial Edition, which also includes a collectable statue, a paper map, an art book, and an exclusive collection of digital content. However, if none of these perks are enticing enough to convince you to drop $100, you can always preorder the standard edition, which includes three days of early access.

All of GameStop's preorders also include access to something called the "Explorer's Pack." This includes a scuttler vanity pet, four treasure maps, and the ability to play as any of the nine alliance races.

The fact that Bethesda is locking some of the races behind a paywall is bound to rub some players the wrong way. Even though it's probably safe to assume that the races will be unlocked at some point in the near future, this is the kind of nickel-and-diming that has given EA such a shining reputation.

Source: GameStop [http://www.gamestop.com/collection/elder-scrolls-online?cid=eml_10001288]

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LordMonty

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Jul 2, 2008
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GAME is doing the same in the UK, pre-orderwise and in box wise. The silly Imperial Ed does give some game changing stuff by the sounds of it but also costs an arm and a leg.

I'll personally be considering it long and hard if i want to spend the £90 on it.
 

LordMonty

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Jul 2, 2008
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Wait a sec I play Cryptic and Perfect world's disgusting practice of charging... i mean games. Off and on I admit but they're free to play and for that I can live with the silly prices... but in a subscription game it leaves me a little iffy on the whole thing and I guess thats why they feel the price is ok at ninty quid... not sure if i do though?

And on the subject of the 'stuff' yeah it does seem somewhat over powered which is sad as even cryptic didn't give anything away with there SE pack which would make people cry out at the injustice.(no the red matter capacitor is nice but not op). If the digital option to buy remains forever it'll feel cheap at the price you pay and also overpriced for some options that shouldn't be restricted in a sub game, wow don't pull this sort of thing and they're still the ultimate boss of sub mmos.
 

Remus

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Nov 24, 2012
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Yes, I will be buying this game. Maybe I'll buy the CE, but no way in Limbo, Purgatory, or the River Styx am I going to buy anything, ever, from Gamestop. If I get a CE, I don't want their grubby hands on my statue, map, and guide. Every box from them comes pre-opened. I've had early access, I've been in beta. I don't need the extra days. I'd rather be there on the 4th with everyone else.
 

XenoScifi

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I am also foreseeing nothing but bad things for this game. Big budget MMO's IMO just don't work in this day and age anymore. At least not ones that cost $200 million to make. Don't get me wrong, they will make their money back in time, how much time? Well that is up to us and how much we are willing to pay for extras and assist in putting money back into the company.
 

Vaccine

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XenoScifi said:
I am also foreseeing nothing but bad things for this game. Big budget MMO's IMO just don't work in this day and age anymore. At least not ones that cost $200 million to make. Don't get me wrong, they will make their money back in time, how much time? Well that is up to us and how much we are willing to pay for extras and assist in putting money back into the company.
I've been saying this ever since I read that this wasn't even going to be made by Bethesda(Zenimax Online Studios), and even then, TES has a long shelf life because of mod support on PC, an MMO doesn't provide this, now a multiplayer TES title that supported modding? that would have worked.

There's always a market for MMOs, but because everyone the last 5 years has been trying to hop on that WoW train, but no one has that WoW standard you expect from an MMO so they all mostly fall flat on their face.
 

Voulan

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Jul 18, 2011
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Just to clarify, this deal is not exclusive to GameStop and nor are they keeping races behind paywalls, other than being an imperial. The only thing being held back is the ability to join any faction as any race, which they're apparently offering for a fee from the get-go instead of completing one faction questline before you can choose the next one. Bit of a misleading article there.

I so want this game to work because I love TES, but I'm also desperate for it to fail. My feelings about shady business practices aside, I really want the game to go free to play so I can actually play it myself.
 

Deathfish15

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Voulan said:
Just to clarify, this deal is not exclusive to GameStop and nor are they keeping races behind paywalls, other than being an imperial. The only thing being held back is the ability to join any faction as any race, which they're apparently offering for a fee from the get-go instead of completing one faction questline before you can choose the next one. Bit of a misleading article there.

I so want this game to work because I love TES, but I'm also desperate for it to fail. My feelings about shady business practices aside, I really want the game to go free to play so I can actually play it myself.

Other than? Um, that's one race that's slapped behind a cash wall. It might not be 2, 3, or 5 races, but it's still a single race hidden behind a cash wall.


The "any race to any faction" thing is a complete 180 against the established lore and set up of the game that they advertised. It's completely bull that they first announce this whole backstory lore thing with 3 races to each faction based on the regions that they come from or their racial backgrounds, only to then reverse than and throw it all to the wind!



This game is pushing more and more as nothing but a giant cash-grab based on an established IP that fans adore. Zenimax should be ashamed of itself and Bethesda should be for being attached to it too.
 

Voulan

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Jul 18, 2011
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Deathfish15 said:
Voulan said:
Just to clarify, this deal is not exclusive to GameStop and nor are they keeping races behind paywalls, other than being an imperial. The only thing being held back is the ability to join any faction as any race, which they're apparently offering for a fee from the get-go instead of completing one faction questline before you can choose the next one. Bit of a misleading article there.

I so want this game to work because I love TES, but I'm also desperate for it to fail. My feelings about shady business practices aside, I really want the game to go free to play so I can actually play it myself.

Other than? Um, that's one race that's slapped behind a cash wall. It might not be 2, 3, or 5 races, but it's still a single race hidden behind a cash wall.


The "any race to any faction" thing is a complete 180 against the established lore and set up of the game that they advertised. It's completely bull that they first announce this whole backstory lore thing with 3 races to each faction based on the regions that they come from or their racial backgrounds, only to then reverse than and throw it all to the wind!



This game is pushing more and more as nothing but a giant cash-grab based on an established IP that fans adore. Zenimax should be ashamed of itself and Bethesda should be for being attached to it too.
The article states that several races are behind paywalls, where it's actually only one. My post isn't in defence of the practice but in clarifying that all the other races are playable at release, which the article has just confused.

I'm bitter about it too.
 

Remus

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Nov 24, 2012
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Voulan said:
Deathfish15 said:
Voulan said:
Just to clarify, this deal is not exclusive to GameStop and nor are they keeping races behind paywalls, other than being an imperial. The only thing being held back is the ability to join any faction as any race, which they're apparently offering for a fee from the get-go instead of completing one faction questline before you can choose the next one. Bit of a misleading article there.

I so want this game to work because I love TES, but I'm also desperate for it to fail. My feelings about shady business practices aside, I really want the game to go free to play so I can actually play it myself.

Other than? Um, that's one race that's slapped behind a cash wall. It might not be 2, 3, or 5 races, but it's still a single race hidden behind a cash wall.


The "any race to any faction" thing is a complete 180 against the established lore and set up of the game that they advertised. It's completely bull that they first announce this whole backstory lore thing with 3 races to each faction based on the regions that they come from or their racial backgrounds, only to then reverse than and throw it all to the wind!



This game is pushing more and more as nothing but a giant cash-grab based on an established IP that fans adore. Zenimax should be ashamed of itself and Bethesda should be for being attached to it too.
The article states that several races are behind paywalls, where it's actually only one. My post isn't in defence of the practice but in clarifying that all the other races are playable at release, which the article has just confused.

I'm bitter about it too.
That's not even entirely accurate. It's not the race that's locked. It's the ability to play that race in every faction. It's still readily available in its native faction. People are looking too hard for faults where there are none. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go put on my tin foil hat. Stupid satellites trying to beam messages into my brain.
 

weirdee

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Apr 11, 2011
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So, everybody playing AFTER the release will be faction locked? Does that even make sense? That's probably the largest middle finger to future customer bases I've seen since they started introducing the more ridiculous "founders' packs".

The most common issue these days in all sorts of online gaming is restricting the availability of choice for players when those restrictions don't actually serve any purpose.
 

Auberon

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Aug 29, 2012
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Zenimax tries to blackmail people into pre-ordering. They could technically add it as feature buyable for... I dunno, 200 units of your currency? But so far it seems to be gated EXCLUSIVELY to pre-orders, which means someone who buys it 2 years from now has no chance in Oblivion of "atypical" race in a faction (because everyone capable will roll that).
 

XenoScifi

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Dec 30, 2013
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I personally think this is a low brow business tactic and adding a feature to play any character unlocked ONLY if you preorder is a game I will not go near. I was very excited until all of this information came out. The game was nothing enormously new but it played well and I enjoyed the art style of the game. I wont be picking this up now. Grats once again to a AAA big budget game just completely not getting what WE consumers want and expect!
 

BoogieManFL

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Apr 14, 2008
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XenoScifi said:
I personally think this is a low brow business tactic and adding a feature to play any character unlocked ONLY if you preorder is a game I will not go near. I was very excited until all of this information came out. The game was nothing enormously new but it played well and I enjoyed the art style of the game. I wont be picking this up now. Grats once again to a AAA big budget game just completely not getting what WE consumers want and expect!
Everyone I know *despises* the faction restricted races. It makes it quite a headache when you planned to play with your guild from another game as everyone has their favorite races to play as. This at least gives people a chance to circumvent that problem and play in the same faction.
 

BoogieManFL

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Apr 14, 2008
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Auberon said:
Zenimax tries to blackmail people into pre-ordering. They could technically add it as feature buyable for... I dunno, 200 units of your currency? But so far it seems to be gated EXCLUSIVELY to pre-orders, which means someone who buys it 2 years from now has no chance in Oblivion of "atypical" race in a faction (because everyone capable will roll that).
However, once microtransactions make their inevitable introduction I fully expect to see that as a purchasable unlock.
 

XenoScifi

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Dec 30, 2013
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BoogieManFL said:
XenoScifi said:
I personally think this is a low brow business tactic and adding a feature to play any character unlocked ONLY if you preorder is a game I will not go near. I was very excited until all of this information came out. The game was nothing enormously new but it played well and I enjoyed the art style of the game. I wont be picking this up now. Grats once again to a AAA big budget game just completely not getting what WE consumers want and expect!
Everyone I know *despises* the faction restricted races. It makes it quite a headache when you planned to play with your guild from another game as everyone has their favorite races to play as. This at least gives people a chance to circumvent that problem and play in the same faction.
I get that. I personally feel characters being locked to factions is not the problem. But each race has different traits that make them better at different roles. Technically one faction will have better healers, another will have better mages, and another will have better warriors based off race passives. Locking races and then giving all races unlocked for preorders is just wrong IMO. What about those who buy the game after launch? All those people are locked to races in certain factions.
 

lilmoefow

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You can play any race in any faction if you pre- order the digital version... either the standard or collectors editions...