Bethesda to Shut Down The Elder Scrolls: Blades in June

It seems the sun is finally setting on another piece of the Elder Scrolls universe. Bethesda has officially announced that it will be shutting down the servers for its free-to-play mobile spinoff, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, on June 30. For those who were still actively exploring its dungeons, this marks the end of a six-year journey that began with high hopes but eventually struggled to maintain its momentum.

If you try to find the game right now, you might notice it has already been delisted from the App Store, Google Play, and the Nintendo Switch eShop. It’s a bit of a sudden move, but Bethesda is trying to give the remaining players a decent send-off. To make the final months more enjoyable, the studio is handing out a free bundle of Gems and Sigils. Even better, almost everything in the in-game store has been discounted to just a single Gem or Sigil, allowing fans to finally grab those items they’ve been eyeing for years.

The game originally launched in early access back in 2019 and saw a massive surge of interest, with over a million downloads in its first week on iOS. However, as time went on, the feedback became a bit mixed. Many players and critics felt the gameplay was a tad repetitive, and the heavy reliance on microtransactions didn't sit well with the core Elder Scrolls community. It never quite captured the magic of the mainline titles like Skyrim or Oblivion.

This isn't the first time Bethesda has pulled the plug on a mobile project; The Elder Scrolls: Legends also met a similar fate recently. It appears the company is shifting its mobile focus toward titles like The Elder Scrolls: Castles, which follows a management style similar to the highly successful Fallout Shelter. If you’re a fan of the franchise looking for a mobile fix, that might be your next destination.