ZeniMax Online, the team behind The Elder Scrolls Online, recently announced a change to how they’ll release new content. Instead of large yearly expansions, they’re planning to deliver smaller updates every three months, starting in 2026. This isn’t a new approach – Rare, another studio owned by Xbox, did something similar with Sea of Thieves. However, given the recent layoffs at Microsoft, many are wondering about the timing of this decision. After eleven years of annual expansions, why change things now?
It’s not entirely clear why the decision was made (ZeniMax Online states it’s about offering more options and diversity), but according to ESO’s executive producer, Susan Kath, it wasn’t related to Microsoft’s recent layoffs. Those layoffs significantly affected ZeniMax Online and led to the cancellation of Blackbird, a project that would have been their first new game in over a decade.
Kath explained to Rock, Paper, Shotgun that Seasons wasn’t created as a reaction to anything specific. The team began planning and working on it 12 to 14 months prior, and deliberately reorganized to focus on this goal.
That makes sense. Although a studio can sometimes change direction quickly, the decision to move to a seasonal format was likely made before the layoffs at Zenimax Online. It seems counterintuitive, but the cancellation of the Blackbird project actually means the entire studio is now focused solely on Elder Scrolls Online, rather than being split between projects. It’s a positive outcome from a generally difficult situation, and a welcome one at that.
Kath explained that they were able to increase staffing in certain areas. This was because employees, previously split between two projects, could now focus solely on a single game.
The Elder Scrolls Online’s first season, called ‘Dawn and Dusk,’ begins on April 2nd and lasts until July 8th. It will offer a unique way to explore zones and set the stage for more seasons to come.
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2026-01-16 04:10