In a significant shift for The Elder Scrolls Online, developer Zenimax Online Studios is moving away from lengthy expansion cycles in favor of smaller, more frequent seasonal updates. This change aligns with insights provided by game director Rich Lambert, who indicated in September that the team was exploring this new approach to enhance player engagement.
The first major update, dubbed Season Zero, is set to launch on April 2, 2026. Following this, Seasons One and Two will arrive in July and October, respectively. This new structure replaces the previous 12 to 18-month wait between major expansions, promising fresh content every three months.
During a pre-Christmas briefing, game director Nick Giaomini remarked that feedback from players indicated the game had become predictable and formulaic. He acknowledged that the expansive chapter model contributed to this issue, as development took extensive time and resources, limiting the team’s ability to respond to player feedback and long-standing concerns.
The seasonal updates, while less expansive than previous chapters, will focus on more targeted enhancements. This format, according to Giaomini, will allow the development team to be more agile, addressing pain points and introducing features that the community has often requested. The upcoming updates are designed to be holistic rather than region-specific, affecting various aspects of gameplay across the board.
Season Zero will introduce a new Player versus Environment area called The Night Market, a battle pass system named Tamriel Tomes, a PvP progression system, and new difficulty settings for players seeking additional challenges. These changes will be accompanied by a refresh of the Dragonknight class and the two-handed weapon skill tree, with similar updates planned for the Werewolf class later in the season.
Looking ahead, Season One will bring new quests for the Thieves Guild, multi-stage cooperative world events, and a new trial known as the Crimson Veldt, along with an art and balance refresh for the Warden Class. Season Two will add a new dungeon and dynamic world events, while also refreshing the Sorcerer class.
This seasonal approach mirrors strategies seen in other franchises, such as Ubisoft’s handling of Rainbow Six Siege, where they utilized seasonal updates to enhance existing content, ultimately revitalizing older elements of the game.
Additionally, many previous expansions—including the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood—will now be included in the base game, shifting how content is monetized. The new battle pass system, Tamriel Tomes, enables players to earn rewards through in-game challenges, with both free and paid tiers available. The latter offers access to extra tiers and rewards but allows players to unlock them over time, not just during the active season.
While these imminent changes signal progress for The Elder Scrolls Online, they come in the wake of significant layoffs at Zenimax, where over 9,000 employees were let go by Microsoft last July. Staff described the layoffs as “inhumane,” occurring rapidly and limiting the opportunity for farewells among departed colleagues. The cancellation of an anticipated project, codenamed Blackbird, further underscored the challenges faced by the studio.
Despite the tumultuous backdrop, the new seasonal format is seen as a potential advantage, enabling the remaining team members to respond more nimbly to player desires and operational shifts, though concerns remain regarding the studio’s capacity to maintain robust content production following the workforce reduction. Stakeholders eagerly await further insights from Zenimax, with ongoing discussions anticipated next week.