Additionally, November’s ‘Orsinium’ DLC pack introduced the land of the Orcs. These aren’t the only things in store for Elder Scrolls Online players though, as Bethesda has now announced a $1 million prize draw. Bethesda made the reveal during the star-studded Game Awards event last night – an event which also featured the new Shaq-Fu game and the confirmation that Rocket League is coming to Xbox One.
Rather than being some sort of Elder Scrolls Online eSports tournaments like some may expect, Bethesda will award the $1 million to a random Elder Scrolls Online player, and all players have to do for a chance at winning the money is sign into the game between now and January 10 and enter via this online entry form (or via mail-in entry). The big caveat is that the $1 million will be paid in 20 annual instalments of $50,000 instead of all at once, but that type of money is still nothing to be sniffed at.
Bethesda is also offering a further prize pack of 3 million crowns (the paid-for in-game currency) which will be split between 1000 Elder Scrolls Online players. Given that 5500 crowns cost around $39.99, that’s certainly an alluring deal to those strapped for cash, or for those who’ve got their eye on an Elder Scrolls Online pet.
While the prize fund is certainly good news for players – especially as it requires minimal effort on their part – Bethesda will be hoping that this will cause even more players to flock to the game. There’s no evidence to suggest that sales of the game are struggling, but The Elder Scrolls Online does have a lot of competition as games like Destiny and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn are popular on consoles, while free to play titles such as League of Legends and DOTA 2 may eat into its sales numbers on PC.
Also, given that (fellow fantasy MMO) World of Warcraft’s subscriber numbers have been on a downward spiral lately, Bethesda’s prize fund may be the company’s way of ensuring that The Elder Scrolls Online avoids the same decline.
