Much exciting news has been made of Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media and the companies' recent roundtable event. One enticing tidbit of information to come out of the event, amongst all the talk of exclusivity, Xbox Game Pass and and the ever-enigmatic Starfield, concerns The Elder Scrolls Online, the multi-platform MMORPG set in the sprawling world of Tamriel.

After its somewhat rocky release back in 2014, Elder Scrolls Online has managed to make something of a comeback, enjoying multiple substantial content updates over the years adding new provinces to explore and quests to complete. The appeal of having the entirety of Tamriel to mess around in clearly isn't lost on its players, especially the 3 million new users the game registered over the course of 2020.

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That new influx of players brings the total lifetime player count to an impressive 18 million, making The Elder Scrolls Online the "number one, multi-platform online role-playing game in the world," according to GM of Xbox Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg. ZeniMax Online Studios director Matt Firor was quick to agree, musing on the game's journey from its stumbles at launch to the juggernaut it's since become and adding "We're one of the most successful, virtual-world fantasy games - period."

Elder Scrolls Online will likely continue to see new members joining its world in the coming months, now that Microsoft and Bethesda have confirmed ESO will be one of the games coming to Xbox Game Pass now that the acquisition deal is finalized. A next-gen update is also scheduled for later in the year, bringing the game to PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, which will surely only help bring in newbies eager to make their mark in the wilds of Tamriel.

It's undoubtedly a substantial achievement, though it admittedly pales somewhat in comparison to World of Warcraft's 100 million-plus lifetime accounts. Admittedly, few MMOs can hope to challenge that veritable titan of the industry, so perhaps it would be fairer to compare to Final Fantasy 14, a game that similarly rose from the ashes of a troubled early life and celebrated its own impressive subscriber milestone last year.

In any case, Elder Scrolls Online appears to be going from strength to strength, and with the recent release of the Flames of Ambition DLC (and console players receiving it in a few days), players will have plenty to keep them excited. Flames of Ambition is the first stage of the Gates of Oblivion expansion, in which players will face off against Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Destruction. The expansion will see a further update, Blackwood in June 2021, with more content coming later in the year, so it would appear the Elder Scrolls Online team still has plenty of tricks up their sleeve.

The Elder Scrolls Online is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

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