The Elder Scrolls Online’s 2027 plans are slipping, but ZeniMax still wants growth
Update 52 will arrive in January 2027, while the Class and Combat Refresh is now targeting 2027 without a firm release date.
The Elder Scrolls Online will wait longer for several previously announced additions as ZeniMax Online Studios adjusts its schedule after the latest round of Xbox layoffs. Update 52 will now arrive in January 2027, while Season 1’s new Crimson Veldt trial is also moving into 2027.
Nick Giacomini, the studio’s new co-head, said the MMORPG remains a long-term priority. In an official developer update, Giacomini wrote that the team is giving developers more time rather than forcing them to meet timelines that no longer fit.
He also confirmed that the Class and Combat Refresh is now targeting 2027. ZeniMax is discussing temporary options for classes that are still waiting for their full refresh, though the studio did not provide a date for those interim changes.
What is still planned for 2026?
The remaining 2026 schedule has also changed, but it still contains two major milestones. Update 51 will launch on September 27, one week later than previously planned. The update will add a new challenge, the “Rumors” game system, and player experience improvements.
Season 2 will debut on October 21. The season’s schedule is separate from the Crimson Veldt trial, which has been moved to 2027 along with Update 52.
Layoffs continue to affect the schedule
The revised plans follow cuts that affected more than 200 people at ZeniMax Online, including Giacomini’s predecessor, Joseph Burba. The changes also came after longtime The Elder Scrolls Online director Matt Firor left ZeniMax following the 2025 layoffs.
Despite the disruption, Giacomini said the studio is not trying to keep the game running on a minimal schedule. “We are not looking to just ‘maintain’ the game. We are looking to grow it,” he wrote.
That ambition now comes with a longer wait for some of the game’s largest planned systems. For the moment, players have Update 51 and Season 2 to look forward to in 2026, while the class changes, combat work, Update 52, and Crimson Veldt remain on the 2027 schedule.
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The Elder Scrolls Online
Developed by ZeniMax Online Studios
Every legend starts somewhere and in The Elder Scrolls Online, it starts with you. Write your story into a vibrant chapter of Tamriel’s distant past that takes place nearly 1,000 years before the iconic TES V: Skyrim, and discover a world steeped in adventure and possibility.
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
- Platforms: Google Stadia, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective: First person, Third person
- Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release: 2014-04-04
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
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Age Rating:
- IGDB Rating: 71.7/100
