As a massive IP, Bethesda Softworks’ The Elder Scrolls has branched into several spinoffs beyond its massive open-world titles. Like many other franchises, the developers took their chance in creating an online trading card game, The Elder Scrolls Legends. However, after seven years of disappointing performance, the game shut down. The story of this fallen game became one of many failed attempts at creating a new TCG. Here is a breakdown of the recent shutdown of The Elder Scrolls Legends.
An Awaited Shutdown
According to GameRant, Bethesda Softworks’ online trading card game, The Elder Scrolls Legends, will shut down entirely on January 30th of next year. While the game was already removed from Steam, all servers will go offline after its shutdown. Despite the game’s approaching end, players who already downloaded the game can still get a few more rounds in during these final months. This news shouldn’t be surprising, given the game’s declining presence.
The article also confirmed several other facts regarding the shutdown. All item prices will be lowered to one gold so players can enjoy the final run. However, once the servers shut down, the game’s entire content, even offline, will become unplayable. Despite the scale of such a project shutting down, Bethesda has yet to release a proper statement regarding the game’s termination. This symbolizes how far the game had fallen into obscurity during the later years of its run. However, the game maintained a small but dedicated fanbase who will certainly be disappointed. Despite its poor performance, it’s impressive The Elder Scrolls Legends ran as long as it did.
The Elder Scrolls Legends TCG
In 2017, the trading card game market reached its height, and Bethesda Softworks realized this. Their fantasy franchise had enough iconic locations, races, characters, and abilities to become a powerful card game: The Elder Scrolls Legends. Therefore, it made sense that the game received a TCG spinoff to further capitalize on its fame. Legends was generally similar to most other TCGs, with a handful of differences to set it apart. For example, the cards are arranged into “lanes,” and players use magic to cast abilities. The game has several modes beyond player vs. player, such as a campaign mode, recurring Gauntlet events, and a puzzle mode against an AI.
While Bethesda had high hopes for the project, it would never fully take off. The game only saw a peak of nine thousand players on its debut before those numbers quickly nosedived. Furthermore, the developers transitioned from Dire Wolf to Sparkypants, which proved controversial. By 2019, Bethesda stopped making updates for the game altogether. As another example of the game’s failure to take off, the Asian servers were online for less than a year due to low player counts. Ultimately, the game’s shutdown was inevitable.
The TCG Market
Beyond Bethesda Softworks, many other developers and publishers have tried to turn their popular IPs into trading card games. Blizzard’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is the most prominent example of a global success that likely inspired others to follow the trend. Another recent example is Disney’s Lorcana, which collects the company’s iconic characters. Players enjoy these games because they combine the satisfaction of collecting with the strategy of RPGs and other competitive games.
Despite Elder Scrolls Legends‘ failure to take off, the TCG market thrives elsewhere. For example, games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic the Gathering have earned worldwide fanbases. Given that these titans dominated the market for so long, it’s understandable why The Elder Scrolls Legends would have difficulty establishing itself against them. With luck, more new TCGs will shake up the meta.
Conclusion
To summarize this news, The Elder Scrolls Legends exemplifies what happens when developers try too hard to chase trends. Despite the size of the Elder Scrolls universe and fanbase, Bethesda could not get the game to take off and catch up with its rivals. Hopefully, the former players’ skills will be better used in bigger TCGs. Despite this, the Elder Scrolls franchise remains strong. Online has held its place as a top MMORPG while the hype for The Elder Scrolls 6 has gathered since its announcement.
For More Great Content
Craving top-tier content that covers it all? From electrifying sports highlights and insider entertainment news to expert gaming tips and sharp betting advice, we’ve got you covered. Dive into our curated articles to stay ahead of the game with the latest sports action, uncover the hottest trends in entertainment, and get the lowdown on gaming strategies that could level up your play. Plus, our betting advice will sharpen your edge and boost your chances of winning big.
Whether you’re looking to stay updated or gain a competitive edge, our content is your go-to source for all things exciting and relevant. Don’t miss out—explore now and power up your knowledge! Follow us on Twitter/X @TotalApexSports, to stay informed.
