Bethesda just announced their free-to-play card game, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, is officially on hold, and they have no plans to expand or update the game as of now. It seems as though Bethesda is looking to focus its energy on other projects, such as the upcoming highly anticipated next main entry in the Elder Scrolls franchise.
Best known for its meme-worthy Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the Elder Scrolls franchise has been Bethesda Softworks' flagship series since 1994. Every other entry in the series, whether it be a main title, a spin off, or an expansion, has been a part of the action RPG genre, making Legends entirely unique to its predecessors. The games industry has seen a trend recently in the rise of digital card games with titles like Magic: The Gathering Arena, Hearthstone, Legends of Runeterra, and Gwent just to name a few, so it makes sense that Bethesda got in on the hype back in 2017.
However, it now seems The Elder Scrolls: Legends is not worth the work it takes to upkeep, according to one of its developers who took to Reddit recently in order to update players on the game's future. According to the post, there will only be one more content update for Legends this year, as was promised in the studio's previously released development roadmap for the game, but it will be the last of any new releases "for the foreseeable future." The good news for fans is that Legends is in no way shutting down, as the game will still be playable on all existing platforms, and will still support the usual monthly rewards and in-game events. Bethesda will also continue to provide users with an "ongoing maintenance report."
While the post didn't mention why Legends has been placed on hold, it's possible Bethesda is putting all of their man-power into working to keep its other live service project, Fallout: 76, alive, which has required a lot of maintenance and upset a good portion of its player base. Of course, there is also the prospect of Skyrim's upcoming sequel on the horizon, which was first teased at Bethesda's E3 showcase last summer. One can assume The Elder Scrolls VI is pushing the development team to its limits, as they'll want it to live up to the legacy of its predecessor and secure its own unique place in the Elder Scrolls series.
This may be disappointing news for fans of The Elder Scrolls: Legends, but at the very least the game will still be available to play for the time being, and, of course, there will be the other upcoming releases from Bethesda on the horizon as well. It's definitely not the same, but it's always nice to have something new, and quite possibly better, to look forward to.
Source: Reddit