Whether you’re excited for The Elder Scrolls Online, the upcoming MMO installment of Bethesda’s hit franchise, or not, it’s hard not to at least be a little bit tempted by it. This is thanks to reasons like the game looking and playing more like a brand new Elder Scrolls game you get to play with friends than a traditional MMO, and its recently announced stellar voice cast.

Enthusiasm for the game has been tested however, as all of the non-MMO-playing fans of the games were less than thrilled to find out a monthly subscription fee would be required to play. Nothing new if you’re into MMOs, but one of the main reasons some gamers won’t touch these types of games.

But now a bit of positive news: contrary to some fears, you will not be required to have PlayStation Plus in order to play The Elder Scrolls Online on your PS4.

After spending the normal $60 for the game, The Elder Scrolls Online will then cost players $14.99 per month after the first month (which you get with the cost of the game). This is hard enough to swallow, as the monthly subscription fee equals out to $180 for one full year after the first free month—almost half the cost of a brand new PlayStation 4.

Unlike the PS3, which allowed owners to play a game’s online multiplayer for no additional cost, PS4 will require a $49.99 PlayStation Plus membership to play online, just as Microsoft does with their Xbox Live Gold memberships. And so, understandably, the fear was that an additional $50 would be piled on to previous costs, making the grand total of playing The Elder Scrolls Online for that first year (minus the free first month) an absurd $275.

Thankfully, in answering some questions on the PlayStation Blog, developer ZeniMax Online Studios’ Game Director, Matt Firor, revealed that PS Plus wouldn’t be required, just the initial cost and the monthly fee PC players will be paying.

Now the spotlight shifts to Microsoft. Will they too allow ESO
players to play the game without a Gold membership? That’s the big question. The game doesn’t release on the new consoles until June, so there’s plenty of time to figure things out still. It arrives on PC this April.

Are you more willing to play The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4 now knowing a Plus membership isn’t required?

[Source: via Kotaku]